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A Killer's Code: Daniela Vega, Book 3
A dead man’s riddles—and secrets—thrust an FBI codebreaker into a deadly cross-country race for justice in a propulsive thriller by the
Wall Street Journal
bestselling author of
The Cipher
.
During a recent undercover sting gone bad, hit man Gustavo Toro died in the arms of FBI Special Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega. But Toro had secrets he refused to take to the grave.
In the event of his death, Toro left behind a video that promises to expose a mysterious mastermind who has been operating with impunity for decades. But there’s a catch. Dani’s team must follow Toro’s cryptic clues on a cross-country hunt for justice, and piecing together his past is more twisted than Dani could have imagined.
But as Dani and her team race to gather the evidence, it’s clear this powerful adversary will stop at nothing to keep their secrets—including eliminating those who threaten to reveal them.
During a recent undercover sting gone bad, hit man Gustavo Toro died in the arms of FBI Special Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega. But Toro had secrets he refused to take to the grave.
In the event of his death, Toro left behind a video that promises to expose a mysterious mastermind who has been operating with impunity for decades. But there’s a catch. Dani’s team must follow Toro’s cryptic clues on a cross-country hunt for justice, and piecing together his past is more twisted than Dani could have imagined.
But as Dani and her team race to gather the evidence, it’s clear this powerful adversary will stop at nothing to keep their secrets—including eliminating those who threaten to reveal them.
Audible Audio
Published January 21, 2025
9 people want to read
About the author
Isabella Maldonado
26 books1,556 followersWall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the Special Agent Nina Guerrera series, the Special Agent Dani Vega series, the Detective Veranda Cruz series, and the Sanchez and Heron series (co-authored with Jeffery Deaver). Her books are published in 24 languages. For more information, visit www.isabellamaldonado.com.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 3, 2025
I’ve always enjoyed works like Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” and Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure” movies. The heroes in those works travel around the world (or the United States) to uncover and decipher secret messages left behind centuries earlier. In Isabella Maldonado’s new thriller, “A Killer’s Code,” her protagonist, FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega, and her team go from a Las Vegas casino to a Caribbean cruise ship to the Arizona desert in search of a “treasure” left behind by a dying hit man. Unlike Cage and Brown’s hero, Robert Langdon, Vega doesn’t have to go back centuries searching for answers. Everything she needs to know was put in place mere months earlier. However, she must also outmaneuver and outfight some highly trained mercenaries intent on cleaning up loose ends. The result is a fast-paced, highly entertaining thriller.
Daniela Vega is the protagonist of two other novels in the current series before “A Killer’s Code.” However, the author provides all the backstory readers will need regarding characters from the earlier books. One such character is Gustavo Toro, a notorious contract killer who teamed up with Vega on an earlier undercover assignment. After his death, Toro delivered a posthumous message to FBI Headquarters. He kept meticulous records of assignments, employers, and payoffs, and this information could bring down many powerful criminals. In the message, Toro said he will provide this data trove to the FBI… if they can decipher the clues to find its location.
Toro wants Vega and her team to locate a scientist who’s been missing for five years. As Vega investigates the disappearance, she learns the missing scientist was working on a research project with enormous national security implications (aka, the McGuffin). Soon, the other people involved in the project begin dying suspiciously, thanks to some ruthless black ops personnel employed by a shadowy mastermind. (Toro used to be one of those ops before his change of heart before his death.)
I was interested in Vega’s quest and the series of clues Toro left. However, my curiosity was piqued enormously when one clue led her to the supposed vicinity of the Lost Dutchman Mine. For those unfamiliar with the Lost Dutchman Mine, the legend is part of Americana lore that could have easily been part of a “National Treasure” movie. Far be it from me to reveal how the Mine figures into the plot of “A Killer’s Code,” but the author provides some fascinating backstory about the Mine that will probably inspire some readers to do further research.
Daniela Vega is an intriguing and highly likable protagonist in “A Killer’s Code.” She’s a former Army Ranger with training in intelligence work as well. (The author was a law enforcement official for nearly 20 years before turning to writing. Many of Vega’s observations come courtesy of the author’s experiences.) Vega is an expert at body language and interrogation tells. For example, in one chapter, a witness says he “categorically denies” a particular accusation. In Vega’s eyes, that’s practically an admission of guilt. Later, she makes an observation I’d never heard in my decades of reading similar thrillers. As her team awaits the arrival of the bad guys via helicopter, Vega notes that the best place to shoot trained operatives wearing combat gear is in the thigh. That’s the only part of the body not protected by body armor, and a high-powered bullet in the thigh will incapacitate the victim or kill them if it hits the femoral artery.
The author’s attention to tactical details makes the final showdown between the outnumbered FBI agents and the mercenaries so entertaining. This sequence takes up several powerful, page-turning chapters in the book. The author doesn’t dwell on the weaponry involved. Instead, she has Vega lay out how the mercenaries will probably storm her location. She then outlines how she intends to thwart those plans. These observations and the description of the ensuing firefight are as enjoyable as what you’ll find in most military thrillers.
“A Killer’s Code” contains several flashback chapters that detail Toro’s actions months or years before the present-day events. Some of these chapters may seem cryptic to readers at first. However, the author eventually ties them all together to explain Toro’s actions and his change of heart. The result is one of the more fully characterized villains in current thrillers. Similarly, much of Vega’s personality comes through in the many chapters told from her perspective. We get several intriguing references to her family (which would probably make more sense to someone who had read the earlier books in the series). Overall, the author does a good job of portraying a highly skilled and likable protagonist.
Some other characters in “A Killer’s Code” are more annoying. In particular, the FBI Assistant Director, who is Vega’s supervisor, plays the highly stereotyped role of clueless superior. This character is common in police or intelligence procedurals. It’s a gratingly annoying person who is consistently and inevitably wrong in their opinions, conclusions, and actions and ignores what the protagonist says. Here, the AD refuses to give Vega the support she needs (including denying her the use of private jets for supposed budgetary reasons) and goes behind her back to criticize her competence in front of the Director. This novel is entertaining and suspenseful enough courtesy of the villains taking actual shots at Vega; it didn’t need a 100% Wrong Club charter member to add to her problems.
“A Killer’s Code” also paints a highly rosy picture of everyone else working for the FBI (except the AD mentioned above). For example, Vega is attracted to her immediate superior. Still, their every interaction reads as if it were taken from the pages of an HR manual on the proper behavior to avoid sexual harassment. The descriptions of the Bureau and its personnel reminded me of the 1960s FBI TV series for which J. Edgar Hoover approved the scripts. Eventually, the beyond-exemplary behavior of all the FBI personnel became somewhat annoying. This book is an occasion where a bit less fulsome praise would have made for a more entertaining read.
Daniela Vega is a great protagonist, and “A Killer’s Code” is an excellent thriller. The author has halted her other crime novel series after three books apiece, but I hope she will find room for an additional Vega novel or two. (Admittedly, it will be hard to top the level of high intrigue in this book in a more down-to-earth sequel.) For those looking for a fast-paced action thriller, “A Killer’s Code” fits the bill.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
Daniela Vega is the protagonist of two other novels in the current series before “A Killer’s Code.” However, the author provides all the backstory readers will need regarding characters from the earlier books. One such character is Gustavo Toro, a notorious contract killer who teamed up with Vega on an earlier undercover assignment. After his death, Toro delivered a posthumous message to FBI Headquarters. He kept meticulous records of assignments, employers, and payoffs, and this information could bring down many powerful criminals. In the message, Toro said he will provide this data trove to the FBI… if they can decipher the clues to find its location.
Toro wants Vega and her team to locate a scientist who’s been missing for five years. As Vega investigates the disappearance, she learns the missing scientist was working on a research project with enormous national security implications (aka, the McGuffin). Soon, the other people involved in the project begin dying suspiciously, thanks to some ruthless black ops personnel employed by a shadowy mastermind. (Toro used to be one of those ops before his change of heart before his death.)
I was interested in Vega’s quest and the series of clues Toro left. However, my curiosity was piqued enormously when one clue led her to the supposed vicinity of the Lost Dutchman Mine. For those unfamiliar with the Lost Dutchman Mine, the legend is part of Americana lore that could have easily been part of a “National Treasure” movie. Far be it from me to reveal how the Mine figures into the plot of “A Killer’s Code,” but the author provides some fascinating backstory about the Mine that will probably inspire some readers to do further research.
Daniela Vega is an intriguing and highly likable protagonist in “A Killer’s Code.” She’s a former Army Ranger with training in intelligence work as well. (The author was a law enforcement official for nearly 20 years before turning to writing. Many of Vega’s observations come courtesy of the author’s experiences.) Vega is an expert at body language and interrogation tells. For example, in one chapter, a witness says he “categorically denies” a particular accusation. In Vega’s eyes, that’s practically an admission of guilt. Later, she makes an observation I’d never heard in my decades of reading similar thrillers. As her team awaits the arrival of the bad guys via helicopter, Vega notes that the best place to shoot trained operatives wearing combat gear is in the thigh. That’s the only part of the body not protected by body armor, and a high-powered bullet in the thigh will incapacitate the victim or kill them if it hits the femoral artery.
The author’s attention to tactical details makes the final showdown between the outnumbered FBI agents and the mercenaries so entertaining. This sequence takes up several powerful, page-turning chapters in the book. The author doesn’t dwell on the weaponry involved. Instead, she has Vega lay out how the mercenaries will probably storm her location. She then outlines how she intends to thwart those plans. These observations and the description of the ensuing firefight are as enjoyable as what you’ll find in most military thrillers.
“A Killer’s Code” contains several flashback chapters that detail Toro’s actions months or years before the present-day events. Some of these chapters may seem cryptic to readers at first. However, the author eventually ties them all together to explain Toro’s actions and his change of heart. The result is one of the more fully characterized villains in current thrillers. Similarly, much of Vega’s personality comes through in the many chapters told from her perspective. We get several intriguing references to her family (which would probably make more sense to someone who had read the earlier books in the series). Overall, the author does a good job of portraying a highly skilled and likable protagonist.
Some other characters in “A Killer’s Code” are more annoying. In particular, the FBI Assistant Director, who is Vega’s supervisor, plays the highly stereotyped role of clueless superior. This character is common in police or intelligence procedurals. It’s a gratingly annoying person who is consistently and inevitably wrong in their opinions, conclusions, and actions and ignores what the protagonist says. Here, the AD refuses to give Vega the support she needs (including denying her the use of private jets for supposed budgetary reasons) and goes behind her back to criticize her competence in front of the Director. This novel is entertaining and suspenseful enough courtesy of the villains taking actual shots at Vega; it didn’t need a 100% Wrong Club charter member to add to her problems.
“A Killer’s Code” also paints a highly rosy picture of everyone else working for the FBI (except the AD mentioned above). For example, Vega is attracted to her immediate superior. Still, their every interaction reads as if it were taken from the pages of an HR manual on the proper behavior to avoid sexual harassment. The descriptions of the Bureau and its personnel reminded me of the 1960s FBI TV series for which J. Edgar Hoover approved the scripts. Eventually, the beyond-exemplary behavior of all the FBI personnel became somewhat annoying. This book is an occasion where a bit less fulsome praise would have made for a more entertaining read.
Daniela Vega is a great protagonist, and “A Killer’s Code” is an excellent thriller. The author has halted her other crime novel series after three books apiece, but I hope she will find room for an additional Vega novel or two. (Admittedly, it will be hard to top the level of high intrigue in this book in a more down-to-earth sequel.) For those looking for a fast-paced action thriller, “A Killer’s Code” fits the bill.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
Displaying 1 of 1 review