Sandra Brown Produces Another Page Turner With ‘Sting’ [REVIEW]

When a hit man is assigned to kill businesswoman Jordie Bennet, it should have been easy money. But then someone gets greedy in Sandra Brown’s STING. (Photo courtesy Grand Central Publishing, YouTube)

I love Sandra Brown! Every time I finish one of her books, I always look forward to the next, eagerly checking her website to see when I can expect to read another of her suspenseful stories. This month, Brown fans can rejoice because she has once again produced a winner with her newest release, Sting. 

Grand Central Publishing

The novel pulls us into the story from the very first line, “exactly twenty-two minutes before Mickey Bolden met his maker, he tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth and said, ‘A woman walks into a bar.'”

Brown’s deft descriptions of the backwater bar, its quirky customers and bartender all add to the tension in this passage. I immediately wonder, who is this woman? Why is she waiting for someone in this seedy joint? And why not drink a beer instead of wine? I am now so vested in finding out what is going to happen next that I have forgotten the time frame of this scene is only 22 minutes!

As Brown’s new tale of intrigue unfolds, we discover the woman is savvy businesswoman Jordie Bennet, sister of Josh Bennet, a swindler turned FBI informant. Popcorn munching Mickey is in cahoots with Shaw Kinnard, a mercenary hired to kill Jordie on the order of Panella, a mob boss who considers her collateral damage. But then, instead of executing his target, Shaw abducts her and serious complications ensue.

Brown’s trademark cast of incongruous characters seems very awkward on the surface, but they ultimately work well together within the confines of the plot. Toss in whiplash-inducing twists and turns, and I guarantee Sting will keep you on edge of your seat and clutching the grab handle until the very last page. If you love romantic suspense packed with sizzling chemistry, frenetic thrills and enough tension to make your palms sweat, you won’t want to miss Sandra Brown’s Sting.

Sandra Brown (Photo courtesy Andrew Eccles)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandra Brown is the author of more than 60 New York Times bestsellers, including Friction, Mean Streak, Deadline, Low Pressure, Lethal, Tough Customer, Smash Cut, Smoke Screen, and Play Dirty.

Her episode on truTV’s “Murder by the Book” premiered the series in 2008 and in 2010 she appeared on Investigation Discovery’s series, “Hardcover Mysteries.” Her novels French Silk, Smoke Screen and Ricochet have also been made into television movies.

She began her career in 1981 and has published over 70 novels. In 2008 she was named Thriller Master by the International Thriller Writer’s Association and was the president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. A lifelong Texan, she lives in Arlington, Texas with her husband Michael Brown.

STING
By Sandra Brown
416 pgs. Grand Central Publishing. $26.