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Kate Sawyer #2
Deadfall
On the best day of Dr. Rita Davenport’s life, she jumps in front of a speeding London Underground train. The police think suicide. Dr. Davenport’s team in Portland, Oregon thinks otherwise. On the day she died, Dr. Davenport presented a paper highlighting a medical breakthrough that would change the treatment of Alzheimer’s. The breakthrough would undercut the billion-dollar Big Pharma business model, taking money from the grant writers, researchers, doctors and huge pharmaceutical companies who have made their life’s work developing drugs that don’t work. To Dr. Davenport’s team, that is motive for murder. They turn to Detective Kate Sawyer, one of their own—a participant in their study who is battling her own genetic form of Alzheimer’s. With her lover, Detective Beck Hudson; Dr. Davenport’s right-hand man, Thea Janeway; and Thea’s romantic nemesis and respected denizen of the Dark Web, Carter Livingston, Kate gets pulled deeper and deeper into the secret places where those on the fringes of synthetic biology ply their trade…for good and for ill. The killer threatens to kill another of Dr. Davenport’s study participants unless Kate backs off…and he’ll keep killing until she stops. With lives in the balance, Kate can’t stop…not until the last man falls. But who will be next?
AN INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH COONTS After making a name for yourself in another genre, why switch genres now? My first series featuring Lucky O’Toole is a light, romantic mystery series. At the time, my life was pretty dark, so I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud snark of Lucky and her pals. But, now life is a bit brighter and I find the darker side, my love of thrillers calling to me. I’ve always loved thrillers, especially psychological thrillers, medical thrillers, women in jeopardy chase books, that sort of thing. Fast-paced storylines with deep, well-rounded characters—I wanted to add my name to the list of writers who have delved deep into these waters. You’re a lawyer, so why the medical tie-in? I’ve always been a science geek. When I first went to college, medical school was my target. Alas, life got in the way, but it didn’t dim my interest in the field. And today, technology is honing a sharp edge in the medical field raising lots of possibilities for cures. But where there is a good use there is also a bad use—the yin and the yang. Nothing ever comes without a price. Great for storytelling.
PRAISE FOR THE SERIES " Fantastic! Coonts combines her trademark strong characters and clever plotting with one of the freshest concepts in suspense--a heroine with early onset Alzheimer's who literally can't remember why everyone wants her dead. Buckle your seatbelt for a wild ride! " - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author " A firecracker of a thriller --with an ingenious premise, non-stop suspense and terrific writing. But it's the heroine who makes this such a winner-- a heart-breakingly damaged loner who's got 'soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture' written all over her ." - Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author " In this taut romantic thriller, no one is who they seem--least of all, Kate Sawyer …Coonts has a sure winner!" - Barbara Freethy, #1 New York Times bestselling author "I love Kate Sawyer! Deborah Coonts has created an unforgettable character and thrust her into a fascinatingly unique and dangerous situation. I want more!!! " - Debra Webb, USA Today bestselling author
AN INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH COONTS After making a name for yourself in another genre, why switch genres now? My first series featuring Lucky O’Toole is a light, romantic mystery series. At the time, my life was pretty dark, so I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud snark of Lucky and her pals. But, now life is a bit brighter and I find the darker side, my love of thrillers calling to me. I’ve always loved thrillers, especially psychological thrillers, medical thrillers, women in jeopardy chase books, that sort of thing. Fast-paced storylines with deep, well-rounded characters—I wanted to add my name to the list of writers who have delved deep into these waters. You’re a lawyer, so why the medical tie-in? I’ve always been a science geek. When I first went to college, medical school was my target. Alas, life got in the way, but it didn’t dim my interest in the field. And today, technology is honing a sharp edge in the medical field raising lots of possibilities for cures. But where there is a good use there is also a bad use—the yin and the yang. Nothing ever comes without a price. Great for storytelling.
PRAISE FOR THE SERIES " Fantastic! Coonts combines her trademark strong characters and clever plotting with one of the freshest concepts in suspense--a heroine with early onset Alzheimer's who literally can't remember why everyone wants her dead. Buckle your seatbelt for a wild ride! " - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author " A firecracker of a thriller --with an ingenious premise, non-stop suspense and terrific writing. But it's the heroine who makes this such a winner-- a heart-breakingly damaged loner who's got 'soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture' written all over her ." - Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author " In this taut romantic thriller, no one is who they seem--least of all, Kate Sawyer …Coonts has a sure winner!" - Barbara Freethy, #1 New York Times bestselling author "I love Kate Sawyer! Deborah Coonts has created an unforgettable character and thrust her into a fascinatingly unique and dangerous situation. I want more!!! " - Debra Webb, USA Today bestselling author
356 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2020
51 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Coonts
34 books890 followersGet a free bundle of novellas ripped from the headlines of Lucky O'Toole's world: http://deborahcoonts.com/lucky-offer/
Deborah Coonts swears she was switched at birth. Coming from a family of homebodies, Deborah is the odd woman out, happiest with a passport, a high-limit credit card, her computer, and changing scenery outside her window. Goaded by an insatiable curiosity, she flies airplanes, rides motorcycles, travels the world, and pretends to be more of a badass than she probably is. Deborah is the author of the Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure series, a romantic mystery romp through Sin City. Wanna Get Lucky?, the first in the series, was a New York Times Notable Crime Novel and a double RITA™ Award Finalist. She has also penned the Kate Sawyer Medical Thriller series, the Brinda Rose Humorous Mystery series, as well as a couple of standalones. Although often on an adventure, you can always track her down at www.deborahcoonts.com.
Deborah Coonts swears she was switched at birth. Coming from a family of homebodies, Deborah is the odd woman out, happiest with a passport, a high-limit credit card, her computer, and changing scenery outside her window. Goaded by an insatiable curiosity, she flies airplanes, rides motorcycles, travels the world, and pretends to be more of a badass than she probably is. Deborah is the author of the Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure series, a romantic mystery romp through Sin City. Wanna Get Lucky?, the first in the series, was a New York Times Notable Crime Novel and a double RITA™ Award Finalist. She has also penned the Kate Sawyer Medical Thriller series, the Brinda Rose Humorous Mystery series, as well as a couple of standalones. Although often on an adventure, you can always track her down at www.deborahcoonts.com.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 12, 2021
This second entry is better than the first, with more excitement and challenges. However, there were significant short-comings that threw me off.
The opening scene is taught and promises a tingly mystery. But then big-pharma intrigue gets mixed in with crazy family dynamics, and somehow everyone becomes an expert in espionage and automatic weapons. Seriously, where did Thea come from? And where did the love-interest go?
Taught and full of details, including emotional frustrations and sadness, but the storyline is way OTT.
I am undecided on the next one, assuming there will be one.
The opening scene is taught and promises a tingly mystery. But then big-pharma intrigue gets mixed in with crazy family dynamics, and somehow everyone becomes an expert in espionage and automatic weapons. Seriously, where did Thea come from? And where did the love-interest go?
Taught and full of details, including emotional frustrations and sadness, but the storyline is way OTT.
I am undecided on the next one, assuming there will be one.
August 11, 2024
Kate is in a new medical trial that's been compromised. The murder of one of her doctors who was working on a cure has her and her medical colleagues scrambling to find out what happened. Investigating leads without Beck has Kate struggling more with her memories and trying to figure out who is friend and who is foe. International intrigue and adventure links the medical murder to prominent figures who will lose millions if the trials succeed, forcing Kate to rely on others than on her memories. Beck and Kate aren't getting along and he's taken time off and doesn't want to be found and Kate is struggling to figure out why. An intricate tale with Kate trying to come to terms with her Alzheimer's and chances of recovery being in the trial and being alone without Beck. Sad, adventurous, intense, and hopeful story.
November 10, 2020
The heart racing, emotional roller-coaster continues on a new and even more dangerous track though a darkly haunted woods that may just swallow the uniquely broken and just beginning to heal Kate and her team of engaging and intriguing cohorts. Great reading!
September 22, 2021
Coonts does an excellent job of describing the protagonist's frustration with her memory loss while still trying to figure out who is trying to kill her and why.
August 16, 2023
A convoluted plot, but intriguing subject. Targeted viruses are terrifying to imagine.
October 12, 2023
So disappointing
I loved Book 1 in this series but Book 2 has left me guessing- and not in a good way. There are so many characters thrown in all at once and no real bridges to tie them to the first book or explain their significance to this story.
For example, Thea, a researcher, is charged with finding a man with whom she had apparently been romantically involved and leaves the lab to do this at the end of a chapter. The next chapter opens with her arriving home to find her estranged father waiting for her on her front porch. Huh? No bridge, no explanation.
I bailed at that point.
I loved Book 1 in this series but Book 2 has left me guessing- and not in a good way. There are so many characters thrown in all at once and no real bridges to tie them to the first book or explain their significance to this story.
For example, Thea, a researcher, is charged with finding a man with whom she had apparently been romantically involved and leaves the lab to do this at the end of a chapter. The next chapter opens with her arriving home to find her estranged father waiting for her on her front porch. Huh? No bridge, no explanation.
I bailed at that point.
October 27, 2020
I am a big fan of the authors Lucky O'Toole series and thought I would give this series ago too. The only think putting my off slightly was the Alzheimer angle, a little to close to home having had a grandparent effected by it. I needn't have worried and in fact I enjoyed the book. The author writes about the problem sympathetically and I found I liked the little tricks Kate used to help, it made for an interesting character. The story is told by two characters as they tackle the same problem from different sides (so you have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happens or what they learnt). This series is definitely not like the Lucky books and has a more grown up edge to the plot. There is plenty of gun fights, action and suspense to keep you up All night reading. The idea is in fact a little scary with the way the world is at the moment but I can safely say it makes for interesting reading.
On the biggest day of her life when she just managed to secure the funding to continue her research into a cure for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, Rita does the unthinkable and jumps in front of a train. Her friends can't believe she would commit suicide but with nobody anywhere near her at the time they have little choice. Until they get a sample of her blood and the message that no one is safe. This sends her assistant and confidant running off to the jungle in search of an old friend and ex lover. Can she put here last difference behind her and get Carter to put his hacking skills to good use and find the next target or even better the buyer of the drug? You don't have to be blind to see that with a team of mercenaries tracking her every move that this might be a one way trip. Closer to home detective Kate is fighting for her memories and to catch the killer but here partner is battling his families demons and is worrying absent from her side just when she needs him the most. Can the problem be solved by tackling it from two sides before the clock runs out.
I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
On the biggest day of her life when she just managed to secure the funding to continue her research into a cure for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, Rita does the unthinkable and jumps in front of a train. Her friends can't believe she would commit suicide but with nobody anywhere near her at the time they have little choice. Until they get a sample of her blood and the message that no one is safe. This sends her assistant and confidant running off to the jungle in search of an old friend and ex lover. Can she put here last difference behind her and get Carter to put his hacking skills to good use and find the next target or even better the buyer of the drug? You don't have to be blind to see that with a team of mercenaries tracking her every move that this might be a one way trip. Closer to home detective Kate is fighting for her memories and to catch the killer but here partner is battling his families demons and is worrying absent from her side just when she needs him the most. Can the problem be solved by tackling it from two sides before the clock runs out.
I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
November 1, 2020
A thriller in the truest sense, this book rushed me from thrill to thrill in a whirlwind battle of good and evil. In only 2 days, I found myself on its ending side, wrung out and stunned.
There are so many truths in this book, mind-boggling and soul-wrenching, so much insight into the very essence of being human.
"On any given day, depending on one’s perspective, she herself could be seen as either good or bad. As a scientist, Thea always looked for absolutes in a sea of incongruities but rarely found them. After coming this far, so sure of her battle, Thea wavered at the cost. So many lives. Each fighting for their own truth and losing. Thea would not lose. Not if she could help it."
How could anyone not love every single one of the main characters in this book? All of them perfectly flawed, doggedly struggling on to make the world a better place, determined to keep on or die trying.
And it's not only the characters the author can vividly, deeply bring to life with insight, but the whole world as well.
"These big glass and metal cities in the Far East contrasted with their foundations, their roots in the ancient. Yet, the people knew enough to honor their past and revere what it taught them, while still moving through the modern with an eye on the future. There was something to be said for that. When you lost your roots, you floated free at the whim of any wind."
I loved it!!! Ms. Coonts is so talented, so articulate, so clever, so knowledgeable and so empathizing, she made me lose myself in this story, which could very well even be true. She took a risk, bringing readers to live inside a fractured mind is overwhelming, but she is so masterful she aced this. Not just Kate, but all the people important to her as well. Her bravery really works for me, and I bow to everything she is.
There are so many truths in this book, mind-boggling and soul-wrenching, so much insight into the very essence of being human.
"On any given day, depending on one’s perspective, she herself could be seen as either good or bad. As a scientist, Thea always looked for absolutes in a sea of incongruities but rarely found them. After coming this far, so sure of her battle, Thea wavered at the cost. So many lives. Each fighting for their own truth and losing. Thea would not lose. Not if she could help it."
How could anyone not love every single one of the main characters in this book? All of them perfectly flawed, doggedly struggling on to make the world a better place, determined to keep on or die trying.
And it's not only the characters the author can vividly, deeply bring to life with insight, but the whole world as well.
"These big glass and metal cities in the Far East contrasted with their foundations, their roots in the ancient. Yet, the people knew enough to honor their past and revere what it taught them, while still moving through the modern with an eye on the future. There was something to be said for that. When you lost your roots, you floated free at the whim of any wind."
I loved it!!! Ms. Coonts is so talented, so articulate, so clever, so knowledgeable and so empathizing, she made me lose myself in this story, which could very well even be true. She took a risk, bringing readers to live inside a fractured mind is overwhelming, but she is so masterful she aced this. Not just Kate, but all the people important to her as well. Her bravery really works for me, and I bow to everything she is.
October 28, 2020
I was so hoping that Ms. Coonts would write a sequel to “After Me” and she did! The author seamlessly weaves this story between two main characters, Detective Kate Sawyer who is involved in a trial study for her early onset Alzheimer’s and Thea Janeway the assistant to Dr. Rita Davenport. While attending a conference in London, Rita becomes agitated and steps in front of a subway train. Her death is classified as a suicide, but was it? Dr. Davenport’s possible break thru into the treatment of Alzheimer’s is of key importance to Kate and many others, but could mean a tremendous loss of money to Big Pharma. A very well thought out and complicated mystery as Kate searches for why someone would want Rita’s research silenced while Thea fights against the many vicious attempts from those who want Rita’s missing computer. Kate’s memory seems to be slightly improving, but things are a little rocky between her and her lover, Detective Hudson Beck. A thrill ride from the very beginning until the unexpected ending. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation from the author. (by paytonpuppy)
October 23, 2020
This is the second book in a Medical Thriller by Ms. Coonts. I highly suggest you read After Me which is Book 1. I really like Kate Sawyer who is remembering day by day little by little about her life, and Beck the detective who has helped her a lot, and now the man she turns to. This book just got to me. A lot going on, and I felt for Kate. At the same time there are things that just bothered me. I can’t explain it. You will have to be the judge of that.
If you like medical thrillers then you should read these books.
I accepted a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I bought the first book.
If you like medical thrillers then you should read these books.
I accepted a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I bought the first book.
November 2, 2020
Man, I enjoyed this thriller! Which surprised the heck out of me because I haven't been able to read one since March; the thriller atmosphere of time running out and impending doom was incredibly stressful when I needed to minimize all stress. And yet I read "Deadfall" in two days. That was because of Detective Kate Sawyer, who has trouble with her memory so she never really remembers how many ways she's vulnerable and just goes ahead with being a badass. She also has a great supporting cast, each with their distinctive voice and vulnerabilities, and the plot takes you around the world and doesn't let up.
October 25, 2020
Twisted, wickedly written, and a page turner you don't want to stop reading.
Detective Kate Sawyer, a participant in a study for a cure for her own genetic form of Alzheimer’s, who along with her partner, Detective Beck Hudson investigate when Dr. Rita Davenport’s jumps in front of a speeding London Underground train.
The police believe it's suicide, Her team in Oregon believe otherwise.
Detective Kate Sawyer, a participant in a study for a cure for her own genetic form of Alzheimer’s, who along with her partner, Detective Beck Hudson investigate when Dr. Rita Davenport’s jumps in front of a speeding London Underground train.
The police believe it's suicide, Her team in Oregon believe otherwise.
November 7, 2020
I read Deadfall before I read 'After Me' and was somewhat confused at first with the references to Kate and her condition. However, light soon dawned and I got hooked. The intensity, the drive to secure the specimen and find the cure while battling known and unknown enemies internationally and on the home front made for a really good read.
November 8, 2020
This story wasn't what I expected...it was way better! This is a medical thriller that has Kate dealing with not only professional issues but some personal ones also. A lot to deal with in one story! It is written exceptionally well and I enjoyed this thriller very much! I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
November 30, 2020
Continuing series by Deborah Coonts. This is the second book in the Kate Sawyer series. She's a former cop with early onset alzheimers. This series is different because of her medical condition, so there's always a new twist. Lots of action keeps the story moving. I still haven't decided if I like the main character yet, so I'm looking forward to the next book to see where she goes this time.
November 1, 2020
The second installment of the Kate Sawyer series will keep you guessing to the end. Coonts has captured the bounce of memory, even as she keeps the story flowing. This taunt medical thriller will chill you to the bone.
January 30, 2021
This book had a sober atmosphere; perhaps even a dark one. There were a few leads to follow in this one - and a few of the characters had their own motives. I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2020
Intense and well researched. A very unpredictable book with both suspicion and trust switching characters. At times you really wonder who really is bad or good. Very well written, as all of Ms Coonts work is.
October 25, 2020
What a great story! I got lost in the story and couldn't leave until I finished the book. A book that held me captive. Such a fantastic read.
October 25, 2020
As usual Deborah Coonts has created a strong woman hero.This book was amazing and fast paced , imaginative and scary . I love Kate Sawer and cant wait for the next book .
November 4, 2020
Deborah Coonts is doing a great job in this new genre. The book was a great mix of current medical dilemmas and murder mystery. It kept me guessing until the end. Can't wait for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews