The Enforcer by Marliss Melton is a 2013 James York Press publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Tobias Burke is on the counter terrorist unit sent to infiltrate a possible milita group. Bringing along a trusted bomb sniffing Lab disquised as a therapy dog, Toby meets with Dylan Connelly, the woman suspected of committing a deadly car bombing that killed the secretary of defense. Dylan is suffering from PTSD after having witnessed the horrors of war without being properly trained to deal with it. ( If one can ever be fully trained for that kind of thing)
It appears that Dylan has formed a group of people together with the mission of helping war vets that have been wronged by the government. Once Tobias gets accepted into the group he begins to realize things are a little off about the information he recieved about Dylan. In fact, he is beginning to wonder if Dylan is the villian she has been portrayed as. Is it possible she is being set up or is she as deadly as he has been told she is?
The author does a good job of keeping us in the dark about Dylan and her true motive for gathering this group of men together. It appears as though Dylan is just a little unstable, but she is also quite passionate and really believes something needs to be done to right some pretty terrible wrongs. But, is she going about it the right way?
The suspense element is good and the story is certainly not like most military based romantic suspense novels. The story brings out issues that make some uncomfortable such as the effects of war on people for years after they have come home and the treatment by doctors who over medicate and misdiagnose the symptoms.
For me, I really did understand what Dylan was trying to prove, but I can't say I could muster much sympathy for the way she chose to deal with the issues. I did feel empathy toward her because of the things she was a witness to and how her life will never be the same as a result. She is at once fragile and strong.
I also like Tobias because he was fair minded. Although the evidence points to Dylan he didn't just jump to conclusions. Of course he shouldn't have been involved with Dylan on an emotional level. He knew that sooner or later, no matter what way things went she would find out his true mission and her already fragile heart would be broken. However, he is sort of stuck between a rock and hard place.
The issue I have with the book is that the plot is a little too outlandish. For some reason the milita group, while well meaning, still isn't a good idea and groups like that make me a little nervous. There was a lot of food for thought though and it did give the book a certain edgy atmosphere. At times it seemed almost like a medical thriller or science fiction in a way. Let's just say it was certainly unique.
I couldn't decide how to rate this one. I'm going to go with a C+/B- or 3.5 stars.
