Author: J.A. Redmerski
Genre: Thriller, romance
Published on: July 1, 2015, self-published
Since devastating secrets were uncovered by Nora Kessler, Niklas Fleischer and Victor Faust have been divided as business partners and brothers. But ultimately Niklas is persuaded to lead a mission to Italy, and he sees it as an opportunity to set in motion forgiveness—or retribution—for his brother’s betrayal.
The mission: play the role of a wealthy German investor and kidnap a beautiful, notorious madam named Francesca Moretti. No stranger to these types of roles, Niklas is the best man for the job, but this time the risks will be much greater as he will not be doing it alone. Izabel Seyfried, still fresh out of a life of imprisonment and sex slavery, could be negatively affected by the things she will see in Moretti’s mansion, and Niklas must keep her in line so she does not blow their cover and get them killed.
But Niklas isn’t the only one who must play a role—Nora takes on the humiliating task of playing Niklas’s slave, and Izabel must play the role of his lover.
On one hand, Niklas couldn’t be enjoying himself more. On the other hand, the emotions that continue to rage inside of him may be too much for him to control, and it may be Niklas—not Izabel—who needs to be kept in line. He cannot forget what Victor has done, and this mission may just be the beginning of his downward spiral.
Can the blood bond that Niklas and Victor share as brothers be stronger than resentment? Or will vengeance dig the blade so deep that their bond be eternally severed?
With five books so far, the In the Company of Killers series shows no sign of slowing down. That’s a good thing, as this is one of the most addictive series I’ve read. This time, it’s Niklas Fleischer’s turn as the protagonist. Joining him as major supporting characters are Nora Kessler and Izabel Seyfried. The previous book ended with major changes. Nora revealed a secret that drove a huge wedge between Niklas and his brother, Victor Faust. The latter’s a highly trained contract killer who left his old Order to start his own.
In The Black Wolf, Izabel is still in training, with Nora as her new mentor. After the two return from a risky mission, Victor assigns them a new one. There’s a catch: they will need Niklas’s assistance. The latter has gone AWOL after learning of his brother’s betrayal. Victor knows where Niklas is, so he sends Izabel to talk to him. She's not afraid to press Niklas to get his help. Victor warned if Niklas doesn’t go, neither will Izabel. When Niklas hears about the target, he understands why Victor trusts only him to protect Izabel.
Niklas manages to show up at the last minute. He flies with Izabel and Nora to Italy for their mission. Their target is Francesca Moretti, a Madam as feared as she is beautiful. There’s a big problem: there are several look-alike young women at the Moretti mansion. No one knows which decoy is the true Francesca. To infiltrate the mansion, Niklas poses as a rich man seeking to buy one of Francesca’s girls. Nora plays his slave, and Izabel his sort-of girlfriend.
Once in the mansion, the three operatives play their roles well. Even Izabel is able to stay in character. Niklas and Nora worried she wouldn’t be able to stand being among sex slaves. Secretly, Izabel feels alarmed by how well she is able to avoid breaking character. Niklas’s role is easier for him: he hardly has to change from his usual self. Niklas manages to score a private meeting with Francesca. There, he must uncover the real Madam. If Niklas picks the wrong one, he and his partners could get killed.
It turns out uncovering the real Francesca isn’t the hardest part of the mission. The Madam is heavily guarded. Niklas and his partners aren’t supposed to kill her, but kidnap her. Francesca seems to feel safe enough to allow the trio into her bedroom. This may seem out of character, until you recall how obscenely arrogant Francesca is. Even her room reflects this. The woman has a freaking throne, complete with dais. This gross delusion of grandiosity stunned me. I expect Francesca would wear a legit crown if it didn’t immediately give her away.
Overall, The Black Wolf is yet another stunning entry in the series. Several readers looked forward to a Niklas-centric book, and this one delivers. The villain is also solid, despite her obscene excess of pride. This is a character whom readers will love to hate, though. Also, Izabel really proves herself as an operative in this mission. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her and the rest of the Order.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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