Hidden Agenda by Lisa Harris, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Eight months ago, Michael Hunt was killed in an explosion. But he didn't die. The Atlanta Police Department decided to use his "death" as a way to introduce him, undercover, into a Georgia-based drug cartel headed by Antonio Valez. Unfortunately, Sam Kendall, a federal officer, has outed him and now they both are in danger, in Hidden Agenda, the third novel of romantic suspense in the Southern Crimes series by Lisa Harris.

Kendall and Hunt are taken to Valez's oceanfront estate, where they are questioned and brutally beaten. Kendall finally gives up and tells them the truth, at which point he is shot and killed. Hunt they leave alive to interrogate further later, after which they intend to dump his body at sea. But Valez's deaf son, Ivan, visiting his father for the Christmas holiday and hidden in an adjacent room, sees the whole scene play out and tells his older sister, Olivia. Together, they agree to save Hunt, untying him and helping him to a boat, where they travel to a small cabin in the woods and attempt to bandage his wounds. The siblings know they have to return, but it's too late: Valez's men have discovered Hunt missing and are searching for him. Hunt realizes that he must do whatever he can to save Olivia, Ivan, and himself, but who can he trust? He is already "dead" to everyone he used to know, and the number of people who know he is still alive would be happy to cover up their own involvement in his undercover work by seeing him dead for good.

Hidden Agenda is a thriller filled with unrelenting danger. There are murders, explosions, hit and runs, and more, all in the name of greed. The plot is intense with fear and staggering surprises around every corner. The characters are very realistic in their actions and reactions, giving into their fear, yet believing that God is with them. There is a bit of romance between Michael and Olivia, but can it sustain the wide differences in their lives? This electrifying mystery, with a well-developed and executed storyline, and without all the profanity that typically accompanies these storylines, is highly recommended.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Hidden Agenda.

Acknowledgment: Baker Publishing Group provided a copy of Hidden Agenda for this review.

Fatal Exchange
Revell (Trade Paperback), May 2014
ISBN-13: 9780800721916; ISBN-10: 0800721918

Missing
Revell (Trade Paperback), July 2016
ISBN-13: 9780800724191; ISBN-10: 0800724194

Hidden Agenda

A Southern Crimes Mystery by Lisa Harris