Review: A Killer's Code (Daniela Vega #3) by Isabella Maldonado

                                                            

Print Length: 344 pages

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (January 21, 2025)

From Goodreads.com: 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.

                                                         *******************

My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Right off the bat, I liked Dani's character a lot more in this novel than I did in the prior ones. Yes, she is still just as good as seeing patterns and forming connections between seemingly unrelated concepts as always, but it wasn't as instantaneous as it has been. I felt she came across as more human instead of machine in this one which I enjoyed. I also found the sort of cat and mouse game that was being played to be intriguing - we knew the basics of who and why, but it was interesting to see how her adversaries managed to stay one step ahead of her and her team. 

I've seen some other people mention that parts of this novel seemed more action movie than thriller story, but I feel like that really worked for this one. It was during these scenes that I really felt the most immersed in the story, and it enabled Dani to showcase her former military training in a way that benefited her team. I also really enjoyed seeing her brother Axel again, and certain things that happened in this book make me wonder if we're not going to be seeing more of him in the future. 

There were however, a couple of things that threw me with this one. The first being this supposed romantic interest that was hinted at a couple of times in the story (in a negative manner), but those supposed feelings really pops up at the end leading certain characters to make certain choices. I felt like this came way out of left field as I don't remember there being any hint about this in any of the prior novels, and even in this one when it was being bandied about, I never really saw it for myself. It seemed like it was a random attempt to make Dani more likeable by showing that she could have a life outside of the FBI, and I am curious if the author plans to expand upon this in future novels or not. The second thing was Dani suddenly finding herself in the role of godmother to someone she doesn't know. I mean I get the circumstances are unorthodox, but it still seemed odd to invite someone into your life like that without knowing them better first.

All of that being said, I am excited to see what comes next for Dani and her team, and I can't wait to read more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.