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New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell cuts a new edge in suspense with a thrilling tale of passion and international intrigue.
Emma Cross abandoned the blood, guilt, and tribal wars of CIA life for the elite security consulting firm St. Kilda's. Now she's tracking the yacht Blackbird, believed to be carrying a lethal cargo that will destroy a major American city . . . in just seven days.
Emma's partner, MacKenzie Durand—a former special ops killer well-honed in the world's nastiest regions—is more dangerous and unpredictable than the worst enemy she's ever faced. And other eyes are watching Blackbird as well—cold and calculating, looking to alter the geopolitical balance through violence and terror.
In a deadly game where the rules change without warning, Emma and Mac must find answers or watch the innocent die in unthinkable numbers. The race is on—and there's no telling who will cross the finish line alive . . .
Elizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Arizona and Seattle, Washington, with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.
Las aclamadas novelas de suspenso de la autora Elizabeth Lowell incluyen varios bestsellers en la New York Times. Lowell ha vendido más de treinta millones de ejemplares. Vive con su esposo en Seattle, Washington y Sedona, Arizona, con quien escribe novelas de misterio bajo un seudónimo.
Her earliest work, from the 1970s, is science fiction and is written under her actual name, Ann Maxwell. The romances she and her husband began writing together in the early '90s are under the same name, because their publisher wanted a female author’s name on the cover. Their Southern California mystery series featuring the divorced lovers Fiddler and Fiora are written under A. E. Maxwell (Ann and Evan), while their joint novelization of the 1992 Val Kilmer movie Thunderheart is under the name Lowell Charters (his middle name and her maiden name.)
Her biggest solo success, the romance novels that have taken her repeatedly to The New York Times bestseller list, are credited to Elizabeth Lowell -- a combination of the couple’s middle names.
Lowell’s romances are noted for their sass and, of course, their sex. But her characterizations, particularly, draw high marks. "Elizabeth Lowell's talent is enormous," wrote The Romance Reader in its review of 1984's Forget Me Not. "She has made a well-deserved name for herself by crafting likable, plucky heroines and enigmatic but intelligent heroes." And, in 1996 the Chicago Tribune wrote, "The protagonist she has chosen for her hardcover debut, Winter Fire could give a Navy SEAL lessons in survival."
Lowell embarked on a popular series in 1997 with the publication of Amber Beach, which introduced readers to the Donovan family, titans in the menacing world of precious gemstones who must dodge murderers, thieves, and power-hungry governments to protect their business. Of the first in the series, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "A romance that offers all the sexual tension, adventure and squishy clichés that fans of the genre could possibly want."
When Lowell was getting started as sci-fi writer Ann Maxwell, she was writing on legal pads while caring for her two young children. Evan was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, covering international crime. In the early 1980s, after he had already collaborated on three mystery novels with Lowell, Maxwell decided to quit daily journalism and write fiction full-time.
The couple has since become a cottage industry of genre fiction operating out of their Seattle-area home. They collaborate on some projects, go solo on others. Lowell has described a seven-day-a week work packed with deadlines, an organized effort that starts out with book outlines that typically take about a month to draft as well as character sketches. Then the writing begins.
"My fiction deals with problems of strength rather than problems of weakness," she told Contemporary Authors. There is no appeal or purpose for me in reading -- or writing -- fiction that portrays incessant, excruciating, and pointless pain in the lives of characters."
Two of the most intriguing time periods for Lowell are medieval England and the post-Civil War period in the American West. "In both cases it was a time of expanded possibilities for individuals, regardless of birth or heritage, to create a better life and, ultimately, a better world, from chaos," she told Contemporary Authors.
She left her field CIA work for what she assumed would be a much safer position. Thus former agent Emma Cross now works at St. Kilda Consulting in what has to be an easier job than being caught in the crossfire of tribal combat as she previously was.
St. Kilda looks into a simple incident of a vanished yacht the Black Swan that probably was stolen. The mission is to get on board the Black Swan's identical twin Blackbird as the insurance company thinks the second vessel is actually the missing ship. Emma and former special op officer Mackenzie Durand are in charge of the assignment. He trusts no one as he believes the CIA betrayed his team on a dangerous mission five years ago in which he was the only survivor. In spite of his attraction to his partner, he prefers going alone as no one has his back. Still as he takes control of the Blackbird, Emma must overcome her instincts of also distrusting everyone if she is to learn what is going on; neither expected to fall in love or be back in the CIA's deadly outreach.
Death Echo is an action-packed romantic suspense espionage thriller that remains at an incredibly high speed yet enables the audience to understand what motivates the powerful distrust in the two lead characters. That pairing of two classic misanthropic skeptics whose similar pasts come back full throttle makes for a taut St. Kilda thriller (see Blue Smoke and Murder, and The Wrong Hostage).
Harriet Klausner
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.With a low, mature, assured voice Beth McDonald delivers a fine narration. She emphasizes our protagonist's strengths as well as her fears in what turns out to be an often treacherous journey even for one as stalwart as Emma Cross.
A former CIA agent, and a mighty effective one, Emma had enough of hair breadth escapes. So, she joined St. Kilda's Consulting believing some private investigating would be a piece of cake. Readers of the mega best selling Elizabeth Lowell know that's never going to happen.
We find Emma gripping "the round chromed bars of the pitching Zodiac's radar bridge..." Zodiac is a small rubber craft tossing its way across Puget Sound as she tracks Blackbird, a yacht which is a twin of another ship that disappeared. Whatever Blackbird's cargo may be it is lethal, and Emma has all of one week, seven days, to find out exactly what it is or there will be unprecedented mass destruction.
She's paired with Mac Durand who once led a special ops team in Afghanistan only to see it lost thanks to bad intelligence. That was a lifetime ago and now Mac captains boats. Only one mention of his "dark eyes" by Emma and we know they'll be more than assigned partners....and often. Romance aside others are watching Blackbird - among them is Taras Demidov who notes the difference between Russians and Americans by thinking "Russia accepted a world of good and evil. Americans believed only in good." Demidov is evil incarnate, and his belief might be his undoing.
As is her wont Lowell's plot moves swiftly but for this listener it is sometimes hindered by a cast of characters that is hard to keep straight - just who is a friend and who is an enemy? We hear, "Too many agencies. Too many secrets. Too little real cooperation, because budgets depend on delivering departmental success stories." It would seem if the threat is ultra dangerous that the FBI would cooperate with the CIA and vice versa.
Nonetheless DEATH ECHO is as fresh as today's news with its focus on transnational crime - a world without borders. There's a wealth of description re living aboard and crossing dangerous waters in a 42 foot boat plus ultimately a satisfying finish. Lowell fans will relish this journey.
- Gail Cooke
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 12, 2011
flat,cartoonish characters operating in hormone overdrive and a ridiculous plot. This was first book of Lowell's I've read and it will be the last.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 12, 2011
I really enjoy Elizabeth Lowell's books. This is why I'm so disappointed in this download of Death Echo. The story was not finished. I tried to get info from B&N, but was unsuccessful. I really prefer to be able to get the books on MP3 Cd's for that reason. What a waste of money!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A former CIA agent, and a mighty effective one, Emma Cross had enough of hair breadth escapes. So, she joined St. Kilda's Consulting believing some private investigating would be a piece of cake. Readers of the mega best selling Elizabeth Lowell know that's never going to happen.
We find Emma gripping "the round chromed bars of the pitching Zodiac's radar bridge..." Zodiac is a small rubber craft tossing its way across Puget Sound as she tracks Blackbird, a yacht which is a twin of another ship that disappeared. Whatever Blackbird's cargo may be it is lethal, and Emma has all of one week, seven days, to find out exactly what it is or there will be unprecedented mass destruction.
She's paired with Mac Durand who once led a special ops team in Afghanistan only to see it lost thanks to bad intelligence. That was a lifetime ago and now Mac captains boats. Only one mention of his "dark eyes" by Emma and we know they'll be more than assigned partners....and often. Romance aside others are watching Blackbird - among them is Taras Demidov who notes the difference between Russians and Americans by thinking "Russia accepted a world of good and evil. Americans believed only in good." Demidov is evil incarnate, and his belief might be his undoing.
As is her wont Lowell's plot moves swiftly but for this reader it is sometimes hindered by a cast of characters that is hard to keep straight - just who is a friend and who is an enemy? We read, "Too many agencies. Too many secrets. Too little real cooperation, because budgets depend on delivering departmental success stories." It would seem if the threat is ultra dangerous that the FBI would cooperate with the CIA and vice versa.
Nonetheless DEATH ECHO is as fresh as today's news with its focus on transnational crime - a world without borders. There's a wealth of description re living aboard and crossing dangerous waters in a 42 foot boat plus ultimately a satisfying finish. Lowell fans will relish this journey.
- Gail Cooke
Imagine yourself ex-CIA trying to live a simple life and forget about "the company". Imagine yourself ex-CIA working for a civilian organization that seems to exist on ex company operatives. Imagine these two ex-company employees tangled in a web made by "the company" and now they have to not only clean it up, but survive doing it.
Ms. Lowell brings us another one of her beloved St. Kilda's contracting novels, full of espionage, intrigue, stealth and deception and you have the perfect plot for her newest novel, a plot as old as cold war stories and as new as the last edition of CNN Live. In it we meet two incredible characters that are her hero MacKenzie and her heroine Emma who will ensnare you with their poise and ensconce you into their life of lies. You will immediately feel their attraction to each other and quickly turn pages to learn the outcome, not only of the romance but if they live to discover it. Her co-staring characters are equally interesting from the enigmatic couple we met in an earlier work Grace and Faroe to the current company men and the deeply unnerving criminals. The romance is fast, furious and sizzling as the couple doesn't know what waits for them tomorrow or even if tomorrow waits for them. The love scenes are hot, sensuous and physical and nothing less than you'd expect of the characters. Yet underneath the sizzle you feel a certain yearning between them, a hope for the future.
You will not be disappointed with Elizabeth Lowell's latest romantic suspense read. It will be well worth the money, a must read for the summer and a next best seller for this New York Times best selling author.
For all of the effort that went into this novel, there isn't much left in your hands at the end. A red herring takes up most of the novel, and in between there is some of the lamest sexual dialogue ever written. Definitely a beach read at best.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Emma used to work with the CIA but she recently accepted a job at St. Kilda, a consulting firm. While looking into the disappearance of a yacht, Blackbird, that is going to be used in an attack against American's. She teams up with Mac, who used to be a special ops soldier. Little do they know, they are being watched by someone who wants Blackbird so bad, he is willing to go after it at any cost. This man, Taras, is about to make Emma and Mac remember what it's like to be targeted by someone with an endless amount of resources. Will they recover Blackbird and stay alive or will a piece of America feel the wrath?
This wasn't one of my favorite books but it is entertaining. I liked the plot and the writing, I just couldn't seem to connect with the characters.
skywriter_types
Posted June 14, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Elizabeth Lowell has written several semi-series in the romance genre. My personal favorites involve either Rarities (a company that protects art) or St. Kilda Consulting (a mysterious company that operates where the CIA or FBI dare not go - and particularly deal with dicey kidnapping).
Lowell's style is a bit over-the-top, but that's to be expected in this area. She clearly does good research (in this case, about yachting), and has a clear view of where she wants the plot to go.
This is one of the stronger St. Kilda Consulting thrillers. The two main characters are well fleshed-out (intentional pun), and display humor. Of course, the dark characters are very dark, the good guys are good. Lowell doesn't spend as much time re-hashing a recurring theme - that most people are too content to let things happen and don't take action - which is a relief.
If you like Lowell's writing or are looking for an "R" rated romantic thriller, this might be up your alley.
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Posted July 1, 2010
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Overview
Emma Cross abandoned the blood, guilt, and tribal wars of CIA life for the elite security consulting firm St. Kilda's. Now she's tracking the yacht Blackbird, believed to be carrying a lethal cargo that will destroy a major American city . . . in just seven days.
Emma's partner, MacKenzie Durand—a former special ops killer well-honed in the world's nastiest regions—is more dangerous and unpredictable than the worst enemy she's ever faced. And ...