Victus

Pepper McCallan #3

by Alexi Venice

Pepper McCallan and Brent Cahill are called upon by President Scott to investigate a terrorist attack by a group identifying itself as Victus. While fending off personal assassination attempts, they investigate sharpshooter insects on California's grapevines, causing panic among farmers. The first bioterrorism war on American soil has begun.
President Scott receives a blackmail letter from Victus, threatening to destroy more of America's natural resources unless he agrees to supply free food to famished nations. The President desperately needs Pepper and Brent to solve who is behind Victus before it strikes again.
Brent's brother, Reed Cahill, fires up a blazing hot romance with Blaire Starr, a young, powerful financier in Minneapolis. Reed and Blaire attempt to keep their love affair a secret from family members in Minneapolis, but Reed needs to return to his winery in Australia.
Meanwhile, a baby is born with swastika tattoos on his eyelids, just like his parents had inked on their own, inciting nationwide scrutiny and unrest as fringe groups rally and condemn. While the public is fascinated with the baby's tattoos, Brent and Pepper also are confronted with a troubling tattoo as they try to identify Victus.

352 pages, ebook

First published November 23, 2015

About the author

Alexi Venice writes award-winning medical, legal, and crime thrillers with smart and gritty female leads. Her stories blend high-stakes investigations, courtroom shenanigans, emotional depth, and character-driven romance in the relentless pursuit of justice.

Both The San Francisco Mystery Series and The Monica Spade Trilogy are Lesfic Bard Award winners. Standby Counsel was named Best Legal Thriller of 2021 by BestThrillers.com, and Baking Ice Cubes was a BestThrillers.com Legal Thriller finalist in 2025.

With thirty-four years of legal practice informing her storylines, Venice brings authenticity to the page. Her heart and imagination fuel the slow-burn, and sometimes forbidden, romance.

When Venice isn’t writing, she’s wrangling grandsons and playing on the lake.

Reviews

[Harriet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt as though this author combined two books which were connected only by family relationships. One was a really good book about terrorists in the US, the other was an attempt at being 50 Shades of Gray. I assume that the followers of this author are used to her story telling interspersed with “hot” romantic sex scenes, but I found the interruptions annoying and a bit like watching a rehearsal for a porn movie.

The terrorist story was unusual and well written, but ,had I known that I had to wade through the rest of the X rated material, I don’t know that I would have gotten the book. I know “romance” novels are very popular, they just aren’t my favorite genre, so I am a bit disappointed.

I also found the fact that ,at the end, I was told to read book two if I wanted to find out what happened to two of the characters in Australia. Really?

[Sherry Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down! This was a fun and exciting read and especially because after reading "Ebola Wars" and "Svea's Sins," I feel like I know these characters and can't wait to see what will happen next. All of the characters, including the villains and heroes, are so engaging and consistent that I really feel like I know them. Can't wait for "Margaret River Winery" to see what these characters will encounter next!

[Zanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexi Venice has really started to find her voice with this third novel. There were some great action and suspense points. Pepper McCallen's character is starting to build some depth with her experiences. I'm wondering what's going to happen with Baby JerJer. How does he and Gma Elsie fit in to the whole storyline? Looking forward to reading Part 2 of Margaret River Winery!

[Jennifer]

Excellent read. Emotionally intense plot.