Author: J.A. Redmerski
Genre: Thriller, romance
Published on: September 29, 2014, self-published
Victor Faust’s new Order is growing. Business is good as there is no rest for the wicked in an underground world of hardcore criminals and contract killing. Relationships among the operatives have changed little over the past year—but things are about to change now, and all six high-ranking members of the new Order will be blindsided by an unlikely enemy.
Loved ones whose only ties to Victor’s organization are their relationships with its members, are abducted. The price to get them back safely—the six must confess their deepest, darkest secret to this mysterious young woman named Nora, who is as deadly as she is beautiful, and who seems to know more about each of them than they know about each other. And although no one has any clue about who Nora really is, it becomes clear that she also isn’t who she appears to be.
So much more is at stake than secrets and the lives of innocent loved ones; with each member that Nora forces to confess, the truth about their dark pasts and their present objectives will cast suspicion, pit some against each other, and may tear others apart.
Before the game is over everyone will know who this woman is and why she is here, but the damage she will leave in her wake could be the beginning of the new Order’s destruction.
Whose dark secret will be the darkest of all? And can Victor’s Order survive any of them?
The Order is back in another thrilling installment of In the Company of Killers. Unlike the previous book, Seeds of Iniquity does not focus on any single character. Victor Faust's Order (his contract killer organization) has grown in the time since The Swan and the Jackal ended. Izabel Seyfried is also getting better. She’s earning a don’t-mess-with-her kind of reputation. The only one who’s brave enough to tease Izabel now is Niklas, Victor’s brother. Dorian Flynn is also part of the group, as well as another newcomer: James Woodard. He’s a tech expert who claims to be able to find information on anyone.
During a covert mission, the team runs into a beautiful and enigmatic woman. She’s Nora Kessler, and she's abducted loved ones who have ties to the six heads of Victor’s Order. The group attempts to subdue Nora, but she manages to take them all on without help. That’s no mean feat, beating up four professional killers! Nora ends up allowing the Order to capture her. She has a deal to make with them. Nora will free their loved ones if each member confesses their darkest secret. The group debates whether they should play along with her game. Victor agrees, mostly because one of the abducted is Izabel’s grandmother, Dina. She’s the only connection to the normal world that Izabel has left.
As each member of the Order’s top six confesses their secret, tension heightens. Each secret revealed is more troubling than the last. Before long, the group is reeling, and suspicion grows. Nora is worryingly well informed on them all. Izabel and Niklas show particular hatred toward Nora. They can’t wait for her game to be over so they can kill her. Izabel, though, also sees Nora as a different kind of threat. Not one that’s life-threatening, but one that can make her look like a wannabe. Here was Izabel, thinking she was this tough, merciless killer. Then Nora comes along, the most robot-like assassin imaginable. It floors Izabel, who’s secretly wanted to lose her humanity.
All bets are off in the most electrifying installment of the In the Company of Killers series yet. Who is Nora, and where did she come from? The truths she brings to light will leave readers breathless. There is so much tension in this book, cut only when the characters reminisce about each of their secrets. If you thought you already knew the Order members well, this book will prove you wrong. I thought it would be hard to top The Swan and the Jackal, which ended with a stunning revelation. These continue in Seeds of Iniquity as Nora reveals the killers’ dirtiest secrets. Only, the biggest question is what exactly she’s after.
There’s not much need for character building, four books into the series. The author’s already revealed a lot about most of the main characters, except for Dorian. For that reason, the book can get right into the action without much backstory. We do learn more about each killer through their darkest secrets. It turns out that even in a tightly-knit group, loyalties may not be what they seem at first. Prepare yourself for another rollercoaster that rivals even The Swan and the Jackal. This series is getting better and better with each new installment. I eagerly look forward to the next book.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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