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Emily Slate #16
The Passage
Where the highway ends, the nightmare begins.
Reassigned to a quiet field office in Albuquerque after a mysterious data breach, FBI agent Emily Slate is restless. But when a young woman’s body is found in the New Mexico desert, she’s thrust into a case that feels far more dangerous than it seems. With only her partner Zara for backup, Emily quickly realizes that this wasn’t a random killing—but instead is part of something much bigger.
As they dig deeper, Emily and Zara uncover a twisted conspiracy of treachery and betrayal, a plot that stretches across the barren desert and threatens to claim more lives. Racing against time, they must unravel the deadly scheme before the killer strikes again—and before they become the next targets.
In the vast emptiness of the desert, danger is closer than it appears.
Reassigned to a quiet field office in Albuquerque after a mysterious data breach, FBI agent Emily Slate is restless. But when a young woman’s body is found in the New Mexico desert, she’s thrust into a case that feels far more dangerous than it seems. With only her partner Zara for backup, Emily quickly realizes that this wasn’t a random killing—but instead is part of something much bigger.
As they dig deeper, Emily and Zara uncover a twisted conspiracy of treachery and betrayal, a plot that stretches across the barren desert and threatens to claim more lives. Racing against time, they must unravel the deadly scheme before the killer strikes again—and before they become the next targets.
In the vast emptiness of the desert, danger is closer than it appears.
- GenresMystery
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2025
334 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 2, 2025
Murder in the Desert Land
The Passage: Book Sixteen in the Emily Slate Thrillers not only delivers the chills and Intrigue, fascinating characters, and intricate plots we've come to expect from Alex Sigmore, but it raises the ante significantly.
Emily Slate and Zara Foley are in New Mexico undercover as newbie FBI agents due to the breach in security in the D. C. office. Because Emily's life has been specifically targeted, she and Zara are under strict orders to keep a low profile.
Well, if you are an Emily Slate lover, you know what's coming. The two agents start with a single murder, like a lone Saguaro Cactus in the desert. And, before you can blink an eye, the desert is covered with all manner of deadly vegetation seeking to wipe you out.
Instead of quietly doing desk work, Emily and Zara end up racing across New Mexico, from the home of the UFO, Roswell, to the deserted interstates outside of Albuquerque. Your heart will pound as the agents desperately try to put together the pieces of a murder mystery/intertribal drug ring/sex trafficking case in time to save a woman's life.
The Passage delivers the thrills, the mysteries, and all of the twists you love from an Alex Sigmore book. The ending is quite a shocker, one I wouldn't have dreamed could happen. All of this left me even hungrier for the next book in the Emily Slate Thrillers series. Which I guarantee you I will be reading.
The Passage: Book Sixteen in the Emily Slate Thrillers not only delivers the chills and Intrigue, fascinating characters, and intricate plots we've come to expect from Alex Sigmore, but it raises the ante significantly.
Emily Slate and Zara Foley are in New Mexico undercover as newbie FBI agents due to the breach in security in the D. C. office. Because Emily's life has been specifically targeted, she and Zara are under strict orders to keep a low profile.
Well, if you are an Emily Slate lover, you know what's coming. The two agents start with a single murder, like a lone Saguaro Cactus in the desert. And, before you can blink an eye, the desert is covered with all manner of deadly vegetation seeking to wipe you out.
Instead of quietly doing desk work, Emily and Zara end up racing across New Mexico, from the home of the UFO, Roswell, to the deserted interstates outside of Albuquerque. Your heart will pound as the agents desperately try to put together the pieces of a murder mystery/intertribal drug ring/sex trafficking case in time to save a woman's life.
The Passage delivers the thrills, the mysteries, and all of the twists you love from an Alex Sigmore book. The ending is quite a shocker, one I wouldn't have dreamed could happen. All of this left me even hungrier for the next book in the Emily Slate Thrillers series. Which I guarantee you I will be reading.
April 25, 2025
Emily and Zara (or should I say Claire and Fiona 🫣) are back at it again with another great mystery solved! This will forever be one of my favorite series. I can’t wait for the next one to come out in September because as always we were left on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see where their adventures lead them next!
March 27, 2025
Received as an ARC, this is an honest review. After an extraordinary breach within the FBI that leaves everyone scrambling to who is behind such a brazen assault; Emily and Zara find themselves sequestered to Albuquerque, New Mexico... and a quiet backwater FBI office. But even among the vast beauty of the immense desert and sky, the criminal element doesn't take a day off; and an unexpected case granted by SSA Strong ignites a fire within Emily Slate to make the burden of being isolated from the ones she cares about matter. The murder of Annabelle Witter, a woman some in the community has written off because of her "chosen" career; throws Emily and Zara into the cross hairs of a dangerous man whose shadow looms large over the town. They also find themselves jurisdiction battle between state police and the Navajo Reservation police forces and for one cop, Wendell Andersen has lost faith that even Emily and Zara can give justice those voices that no one else wants to see. Exposing the truth behind the case, gives light to a haunting tragedy that anyone can fall into. And what is left behind.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
July 12, 2025
Desperation & secrets in the New Mexico desert
After learning Emily and a handful of other agents are being targeted by an unknown entity, she is forced into hiding. Unwilling to enter WITSEC like the other endangered agents, her best course of action is to take on a new persona and stay totally off the radar, working under an assumed name out of a small satellite FBI office in Albuquerque NM.
The situation is torturous for Emily. She’s had to leave her life & new home with Liam, the newfound camaraderie with agents Elliot & Nadia, and all her exciting casework behind. She’s relegated to desk duty and it’s her own personal Hell. The only saving grace is that Zara has been sent to watch her six.
Seeing Emily so cut off from the family she’s created in DC really highlights how much she’s grown throughout the series. The isolation of the wide-open desert is a perfect allegory for her feelings. Just when Emily hits her breaking point, her new boss decides it’s the perfect time to assign a real case to his two newest agents.
The mystery Emily & Zara are tapped with solving this time was a doozy. I continue to marvel at the intricacies of the cases Alex Sigmore comes up with to entertain us. It’s a gripping mystery, with undercurrents that pull our heroes all across the desert: from the Navajo Nation to Roswell and back again. It’s a wild ride so be prepared: you won’t want to put this book down.
After learning Emily and a handful of other agents are being targeted by an unknown entity, she is forced into hiding. Unwilling to enter WITSEC like the other endangered agents, her best course of action is to take on a new persona and stay totally off the radar, working under an assumed name out of a small satellite FBI office in Albuquerque NM.
The situation is torturous for Emily. She’s had to leave her life & new home with Liam, the newfound camaraderie with agents Elliot & Nadia, and all her exciting casework behind. She’s relegated to desk duty and it’s her own personal Hell. The only saving grace is that Zara has been sent to watch her six.
Seeing Emily so cut off from the family she’s created in DC really highlights how much she’s grown throughout the series. The isolation of the wide-open desert is a perfect allegory for her feelings. Just when Emily hits her breaking point, her new boss decides it’s the perfect time to assign a real case to his two newest agents.
The mystery Emily & Zara are tapped with solving this time was a doozy. I continue to marvel at the intricacies of the cases Alex Sigmore comes up with to entertain us. It’s a gripping mystery, with undercurrents that pull our heroes all across the desert: from the Navajo Nation to Roswell and back again. It’s a wild ride so be prepared: you won’t want to put this book down.
April 5, 2025
Just OK - read on KU
The investigation in this book is fine other than that part of the story being a little flimsy.
Emily and Zara are paranoid that everyone is in on the leak in the FBI that made them relocate under aliases. That makes zero sense.
Their cover is pretty silly, too. It wouldn't be reasonable to work with other agents who wouldn't figure out they aren't inexperienced agents from the opposite of the country than what they claimed. They spent too much time talking about the problem without any progress being made on that story line.
Their behavior was a bit OTT at times, too. For instance, someone from a different law enforcement agency shows up at their apartments with files on their case and they are rude and accuse him of stalking. It would have been logical to think he went there because he suspected someone at the FBI was either in on it or dropped the ball as he stated he had requested their assistance and had been denied or ignored. I'm not saying anyone at their office did something wrong, but he could have suspected that since everyone seems to think the mobster in the book has bought off the whole area.
I really hope the next book is better and puts the mole business to rest.
The investigation in this book is fine other than that part of the story being a little flimsy.
Emily and Zara are paranoid that everyone is in on the leak in the FBI that made them relocate under aliases. That makes zero sense.
Their cover is pretty silly, too. It wouldn't be reasonable to work with other agents who wouldn't figure out they aren't inexperienced agents from the opposite of the country than what they claimed. They spent too much time talking about the problem without any progress being made on that story line.
Their behavior was a bit OTT at times, too. For instance, someone from a different law enforcement agency shows up at their apartments with files on their case and they are rude and accuse him of stalking. It would have been logical to think he went there because he suspected someone at the FBI was either in on it or dropped the ball as he stated he had requested their assistance and had been denied or ignored. I'm not saying anyone at their office did something wrong, but he could have suspected that since everyone seems to think the mobster in the book has bought off the whole area.
I really hope the next book is better and puts the mole business to rest.
April 14, 2025
what a mess
Emily and Zara, undercover at the Albuquerque field office as newly-minted field agents, bumble into much more than they bargained for.
Tensions between agencies as well as Native law enforcement complicate the investigation, which blows up into national headlines.
Emily and Zara, undercover at the Albuquerque field office as newly-minted field agents, bumble into much more than they bargained for.
Tensions between agencies as well as Native law enforcement complicate the investigation, which blows up into national headlines.
April 13, 2025
4,5 stars
Okay but how DARE it end like that?!
Okay but how DARE it end like that?!
July 5, 2025
An interesting visit with Em & Z. Looking forward to see where the series is heading.
April 12, 2025
The Passage
This is an excellent book. Fantastic characters, some now seem like old friends. The plots are intriguing with riveting twists and turns. You captures you attention and holds it from beginning to end.
This is an excellent book. Fantastic characters, some now seem like old friends. The plots are intriguing with riveting twists and turns. You captures you attention and holds it from beginning to end.
April 2, 2025
Thank you, @AlexSigmore for my advanced review copy!
📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Passage (Emily Slate, Book 16) by Alex Sigmore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 270 / Genre: Police Procedural
Release Date: April 2, 2025
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉
FBI agents are being targeted after a mysterious data breach. Among them are Emily and Zara, so they have been reassigned to a field office in Santa Fe, ordered to lay low and pose as low-level agents so no one can find them. But when the body of a young woman is found, their professional instincts kick in leading them to the biggest case New Mexico has seen in years.
This new installment in the Emily Slate series is full of twists and surprises. And because they’re on assignment away from home focusing on a specific case, it can easily be read as a standalone. And the ending definitely made me anxious for the next one. Plus, the entire series is available for free with #KindleUnlimited.
📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Passage (Emily Slate, Book 16) by Alex Sigmore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 270 / Genre: Police Procedural
Release Date: April 2, 2025
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉
FBI agents are being targeted after a mysterious data breach. Among them are Emily and Zara, so they have been reassigned to a field office in Santa Fe, ordered to lay low and pose as low-level agents so no one can find them. But when the body of a young woman is found, their professional instincts kick in leading them to the biggest case New Mexico has seen in years.
This new installment in the Emily Slate series is full of twists and surprises. And because they’re on assignment away from home focusing on a specific case, it can easily be read as a standalone. And the ending definitely made me anxious for the next one. Plus, the entire series is available for free with #KindleUnlimited.
January 4, 2026
4 - 4.5 Stars
The Passage is the sixteenth book in the Emily Slate Series by Alex Sigmore.
This has the vibes of crime thrillers that feel like binge-worthy TV shows, but in book form. Alex Sigmore has created FBI agent, Emily Slate, who’s tough, smart, and just the right amount of emotionally messy to make her feel real and relatable. She’s not some flawless superhero type - she’s been through loss, made mistakes, and still pushes forward, which makes you root for her even harder.
Each book has its own mystery, but there’s also this ongoing thread about Emily’s personal life and career struggles that keeps you hooked from one installment to the next. The twists are sharp, and while you might guess a few things, the author still manages to throw in curveballs that make you go, wait, WHAT?!
Well worth the read.
Happy Reading…
The Passage is the sixteenth book in the Emily Slate Series by Alex Sigmore.
This has the vibes of crime thrillers that feel like binge-worthy TV shows, but in book form. Alex Sigmore has created FBI agent, Emily Slate, who’s tough, smart, and just the right amount of emotionally messy to make her feel real and relatable. She’s not some flawless superhero type - she’s been through loss, made mistakes, and still pushes forward, which makes you root for her even harder.
Each book has its own mystery, but there’s also this ongoing thread about Emily’s personal life and career struggles that keeps you hooked from one installment to the next. The twists are sharp, and while you might guess a few things, the author still manages to throw in curveballs that make you go, wait, WHAT?!
Well worth the read.
Happy Reading…
November 10, 2025
I loved this twist on the series “normal” genre! Emily & Zara are sent to New Mexico to lay low, yet as always, they find themselves knee deep in conspiracy and a murder case going way deeper than just one victim. I loved the incorporation of Native characters and scenery set on Navajo land. Despite being a fictional story, I loved Sigmore’s spotlight on Native characters and the bias that often overshadows this group of missing women. An excellent read by Sigmore AND a massive cliff hanger on the last page!
August 5, 2025
Great series
I have read all of the series and can't wait for the next one to come out. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and if you like thriller series this is a great one to read. When I complete a book I flag the next one to remind me when the next one is available they are that good.
I have read all of the series and can't wait for the next one to come out. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and if you like thriller series this is a great one to read. When I complete a book I flag the next one to remind me when the next one is available they are that good.
February 8, 2026
This series is getting very exciting. I am going to the last one till the 18th one is released. I shouldn't of read them so fast, the next one doesn't come out untill JUNE!! Oh, its worth the wait. The was a surprise in this one, Did not see it coming at all. I guess you could say two things surprised me. You have to check this series out.
April 24, 2025
Cliffhanger!
Yikes! I was ripping through this series, loving all the adrenalin-filled cases and then....well now I have to WAIT!
You're killing me, Alex!
P.S. Read this series....just not as quickly as I have.
Yikes! I was ripping through this series, loving all the adrenalin-filled cases and then....well now I have to WAIT!
You're killing me, Alex!
P.S. Read this series....just not as quickly as I have.
May 14, 2025
Great book
This book was all over the place, with Emily and Sara trying to keep they're secret. A young girl murdered cover up everywhere will they find the killer. A very interesting book in this series.
This book was all over the place, with Emily and Sara trying to keep they're secret. A young girl murdered cover up everywhere will they find the killer. A very interesting book in this series.
August 10, 2025
Good books, strong women, terrible men!
Have read the entire series. Real good stories but pretty obvious the author isn't a fan of men! Would be nice to have the story at least not have the evil male local cop!
Have read the entire series. Real good stories but pretty obvious the author isn't a fan of men! Would be nice to have the story at least not have the evil male local cop!
April 18, 2025
I love this series SO much. It’s rare I think about book characters when I’m not reading and I think about Emily and Zara all the time! This installment takes us to New Mexico and hi jinx unfold!
April 24, 2025
Great from the start.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller. This has lots of surprises, twist and turns
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller. This has lots of surprises, twist and turns
September 6, 2025
This one was really good!
October 3, 2025
4.5 stars - oh damnnnn that ending!
November 30, 2025
I’m mad. YOU CAN’T JUST END THE BOOK LIKE THAT!! Now I have to wait till September to read the next one🥲
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews