The Devil Makes the Rules

Chance O'Brien #3

by Tess Thompson, Judi Thompson, Charlene Tess

Brett Adams has a secret. A secret that destroyed his marriage and carved the path he would take in life. Now Brett is missing, and his ex-wife Macy and her detective husband Chance O'Brien must find him. They travel from Houston to Key West, Florida, and El Paso, Texas, and discover a trail of blood and lies that shock Macy to the core. Now she realizes she was married to a stranger. But it isn't only Brett's life in peril: an innocent young woman and her mother are also missing.

374 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2016

About the author

pen name of Charlene Tess and Judi Thompson

Reviews

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I'm reading in this series so it took me awhile to catch on. The author does a great job building the story and pulled me in with all the suspense and revenge and keeps things interesting with the drugs and human trafficking ring.' She had me glued to the pages with all the twists and turns as well as the romance. It's well written with detailed and descriptive scenes ,moves fluidly and is a great read. Loved and highly recommend reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book three of the Chance O’Brien series and this one focuses on the problems his wife Macy’s ex-husband Brett Adams has gotten himself mixed up in. His relationship and marriage to Macy broke down over his refusal to adopt a child after they struggled to conceive. He had a number of secrets about his past, which he had never revealed to her and led to them splitting but still remaining friends. Brett was almost closer to her parents than she was and still is! He now runs a fishing boat charter business on his boat, Footloose and is doing something he loves, down in the Florida Keys. He is accosted by a woman who is desperate, trying to find the man who has taken her daughter! Marie Trudeau is a model and has worked hard to bring up her daughter on her own, after a single mistake when she was only fifteen. Lily Trudeau is almost nineteen, but has led a very sheltered and protected life with her mother wanting to protect her from what the world might bring.

A night out on a yacht, to which Lily manages to persuade Marie to let her tag along, where Marie was sent to make further contacts for her career, left Lily spotted by a dangerous man! His sidekick pretends to be much younger than he is and tricks Lily into thinking he is attracted to her. When Marie finds her daughter missing late the next day, she finds the police are not exactly interested, due to her daughter’s age. She uses what contacts she has to track her daughter’s phone to the Florida Keys and the yacht they had been on. This leads her to Brett Adams in a case of mistaken identity, but he agrees to help her out and try to find her daughter with her. Brett’s past will soon come back to haunt him, as the devil is making all the plays and has his eyes firmly tracking one of them and gained an extra prize in the process.

When Macy’s family hear of Brett’s failure to fulfil a pre-booked charter and no one can get ahold of him, alarms start to be raised. Macy is contacted and even though she has been struggling with issues since the birth of her daughter, helping to find out what has happened to Brett may be just what she needs to keep the demons at bay! Chance and Macy fly down to Florida and start to investigate and with his police background and her FBI profiler experience they soon find themselves mixed in a case of human trafficking and serious crime, with a boss man who has no soul and is known locally as El Diablo. The secrets that Macy and Chance uncover, leave Macy shocked about the man she has previously been married to, and a dangerous situation for both of them to face. Brett is mixed up in the middle of things and the madness of his childhood, seems to still be following him! Whether they can find Marie and her daughter, their main aim was Brett, but he is now firmly in the middle of the missing girl’s case and falling for Marie. An interesting case, with a very dangerous foe, with yet more to come in the near future. This book deals with some difficult situations and shocking crimes! A good read and a series that is picking up the pace. I can’t wait to see what comes next! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Sharon Grow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brett Adams lost the woman he married and loved when he refused to have children. His ex-wife, Macy, is now married to Detective Chance O’Brien who saved her from certain death at the hands of a serial killer. Macy is an F.B.I. agent and has given birth to Faith, her child with Chance. Brett has bought his own boat and is working as a fishing guide. When Marie Trudeau tries to hire him to take her to one of the smaller islands in the Bahamas, he explains that he does not have the proper paperwork for that trip. When she explains that her daughter, Lily, has been kidnapped…possibly by traffickers, he agrees to help her. When Brett goes missing, Macy and Chance fly to the Bahamas to investigate his disappearance. Brett will do his best to keep Marie safe and rescue Lily, but there are unforeseen issues from his past that are at work to make sure they don’t survive. Brett and Marie both have secrets that work against their chance for survival. A very absorbing mystery with twists and hidden facts that will keep you guessing through the entire story. I had read the first book in the series “When an Angel Whispers” and can highly recommend that book as well. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Macy and Chance are back, but they are not the main characters in this third book instead it is Macy’s ex husband and his potential love interest who take the lead as they go on a mad search for her daughter. Throughout this journey romance blooms and secrets are revealed. Macy finds out things about her ex, Brent finds out this past is not as unknown as he thought and Marie gets a flash from her past as well. The ending is sweet and not unexpected. The writing has the story moving at a quick pace. This book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading in order to see more of the character and relationship developments.

I hope to see more of this series and also to see if the observer makes a return!

[Anita Fuhrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compelling mystery that this time involves not only murder but also, kidnapping, drugs, and human trafficking! Macy and Chance OBrien need to rescue a trio of people, one of them being her ex-husband along with his girlfriend and her daughter. This is an on the edge of your seat, flip the pages as fast as you can thriller of a book, and in the keeping of the previous book that I had read it kept me guessing. I find that I am enjoying the books in this series very much and look forward to reading more soon.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Martin Pingree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A successful model’s daughter is kidnapped by an international sex trafficker. She goes out on her own with a Florida fishing boat charter captain to try and find her daughter. This book takes you on that wild ride and keeps you guessing at every turn. So much fun to read. Great cast of characters, loads of action and a wonderfully written story line with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Awesome ending !

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A plot that keeps you glued to the pages and sitting on the edge of your seat at times. Mystery, danger and intrigue pull you in and keeps your interest from the beginning to the end. The characters are well developed, strong and add great element to the story line. A suspenseful read mystery fans will love.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this addition to the Chance O'Brien series. This story has secrets, suspense, human trafficking, danger, deception, and intrigue.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[B.J. Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's coming next?

That's the question I asked over and over as I read this book. The twists, turns, and surprises kept me intrigued throughout. Thanks for continuing the story of these characters.

[Marianne Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evil is alive

Actually, I would give this book a 4.5. The middle was slow, but then the masterful storytellers brought everything to life. If you follow this series, you will learn a great deal.

[Carolyn Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the Chance O'Brien mystery series and the plots and characters are getting more and more interesting and complex. I recommend reading books 1 and 2 before 3 as the story is a continuation of life events, personalities, and the interwoven story threads. I thought I had the ending figured out only to be surprised a few times toward the end. I read this in one sitting and stayed up late to finish the story as I just had to read it through to completion.

We learn more about the reasons the characters behave the way they do and also understand why events evolve as they do. The are points in the story where characters have conversations and reveal their motivations and reasons for their behavior. Every time the scene changed I wasn't quite ready. I think these books should be made in to movies! Very interesting. I do not know how the authors figured all this out and wrote it so well.