Fatal Decision

A Sam Harker Thriller

Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5

In the exhilarating spy novel Fatal Decision, two accomplished and compelling intelligence agents on opposite sides of an agency divide go head to head.

With shootouts, duplicity, and espionage throughout, T. K. Wolf’s thriller Fatal Decision is about a burned ex-employee’s attempts to topple a malicious intelligence company, creating a vicious game of cat and mouse with explosive consequences.

Sam Harker is a well-trained assassin and computer hacker on a mission to take down Delphi, her former employer. The private intelligence agency was responsible for the death of her parents. Sam has been disrupting their operations for years, but knows she’s always one step away from her own end.

Hot on her trail is Carter, a member of Delphi’s board and Sam’s former mentor, who has been tasked with taking her out to protect the company’s operations. As their two-year-long chase comes to a head, it becomes apparent that its resolution will be deadly. Questions about Delphi’s plans, including the mysterious project Prometheus, loom.

Following multiple perspectives, especially Sam and Carter’s, the book shows what it’s like to work both inside and outside of Delphi. Although Sam is the one running from the agency, it’s Carter who seems to be in the most danger, as the menacing chairman of Delphi threatens his safety if he is unable to apprehend Sam. This understanding of what motivates each of the leads makes the stakes of their rivalry much higher.

Although the book is a spy thriller, it also ventures into romantic territory. Heartwarming interactions between Sam and her boyfriend Jake arise. Though such scenes are distractions from the overarching plot, they are a welcome addition.

The events of the story pick up quickly: within the first few chapters, betrayals are made, deals are cut, and a head is severed. The pages are stuffed with physical action; shoot-outs, complicated martial arts maneuvers, and chase scenes are described in concise, skillful terms. The book’s breakneck pace is maintained throughout its middle and final acts.

The settings throughout are described in great detail as well, so that each situation is easy to imagine. All of the book’s elements combine well to secure reader interest, resulting in an immersive, rousing reading experience that is consistent in its delivery through to its satisfying end, whose open-ended factors indicate the start of a larger narrative.

In the exhilarating spy novel Fatal Decision, two accomplished and compelling intelligence agents on opposite sides of an agency divide go head to head.

Reviewed by Gregory A. Lowe

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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