Review: Ten Seconds To Dead by L.A. Clayton

Title: Ten Seconds to Dead

Author: L. A. Clayton

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Published By: Independent

Category: Contemporary – Political – Espionage – Thriller – Romance

Type: Digital – Paperback

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Blurb: 

Ten seconds may be all she has left ...

Kate Edison witnesses her father’s death and, in order to keep his memory alive, decides to follow in his footsteps by joining the CIA. She molds herself into becoming exactly what the CIA is looking for---and captures their interest, both personally and professionally. But before she can finish the CIA process, Kate is offered a position as an espionage agent in another highly secretive government agency, which she accepts.

While completing her agency training, Kate is catapulted into a shadowy world where wealth and power are the ultimate goal, and those in charge will stop at nothing to get it. While on the job, Kate uncovers secrets that, if revealed, would cost her life, but if kept, could bring down a nation. Isolated and unsure of who to trust, she brings in a fellow agent, but pulling him into the web of conspiracy and lies puts a target on both their backs - and it will take every skill they’ve ever learned as agents to stay alive long enough to stop the enemy no one else can see.

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Excerpt:

          He gave me an intense look. “Ms. Edison, have you ever heard the term ‘shadow government’?”

          My eyebrows knit together. I had not been expecting that question. “Are you referring to the conspiracy theory? I’ve heard some theories about shadow governments, cryptocracies, and invisible governments.”Honestly, in my opinion, all of it was crazy, as in, if you believed in it you likely needed to be institutionalized. 

          CO Westwood nodded. “There are a lot of theories about shadow governments out there, which works in our favor.”Another look. “Though, I can assure you that not all shadow government hypotheses are based in imagination. There is an actual shadow government, Ms. Edison. I can confirm that because I am the current head of it.”

          Westwood paused, I suppose to let that sink in. My heart began to hammer, even though my brain hadn’t quite registered CO Westwood’s words as true. 

          “Before you make a run for it, I would request that you hear me out.”

          My thoughts must have been easily readable on my face. I was ready to bolt. I had very little doubt that there was anything he could say at this point that would make me want to stay. There was the small detail of my luggage being in “my apartment,”but there was nothing in it of too great a value. The only thing that was keeping me rooted to my seat was that I received the letter guiding me here directly from Officer Lyon’s hands. 

          CO Westwood gave me a knowing smile and said, “Everyone here understands your feelings, we were all in your position at one point in time. I think it will be helpful for you if I start at the beginning.”He sat back in his chair. 

          “In July of nineteen forty-five, at the first successful detonation of the atomic bomb, the future of the world changed in an irreversible way. We had a whole new kind of power. On the day of the first successful testing, Oppenheimer, the inventor of the bomb, quoted Bhagavad Gita. Do you remember that quote, Ms. Edison?”

          “’Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,’”I quoted. My father had taught me that. 

          “That’s correct. ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’The atomic bomb gave us power beyond anything we had ever had before. We could destroy nations. The world, should we so choose, could be our slave. The only problem was that there were several other countries creating atomic bombs on our heels. We knew that it was only a matter of time until other countries could exercise that power over the world as well. Many of the scientists who built the bomb proposed that there should be an ‘international control of atomic energy.’They felt that it was safer for all nations if either control was held by a transnational organization or there was purposeful distribution of weapons information to all superpowers. However, there was a great mistrust of the Soviet Union, and the United States desired a monopoly in the atomic arena. Unfortunately, the Soviets, through use of the KGB and espionage, created a working atomic bomb in 1949, far earlier than expected. 

          “In response, the United States did two things, one known and the other in deep secret. The first was that we upped our game to remain the world weapons power.  Under Truman we created the hydrogen bomb, a bomb far more powerful than the one used against Japan. The second was that we created a shadow government, a government that would be prepared to take control only under the circumstance that our current government lost power due to nuclear fallout or any other. We called it the Alternate Government Initiative.”

          My palms were sweating. I wiped them on my suit pants. 

          CO Westwood continued, “The Alternate Government Initiative started out as a stratocracy, using only current military and ex-military for its appointed leaders. This is still mostly true today. With the exception of Valentina, all of us in front of you are either current military or ex-military, though throughout our ranks you will also find ex-FBI, CIA, and many other former and current employees of different government agencies. 

          “As a shadow government, we are not beholden to any of our current democratic laws. We are not voted in—we are recruited and/or appointed. We have no term limits, and though our offices within the organization may change, we all serve within the AGI until retirement. The main purpose of the AGI remains the same: we are here to take power in the occurrence that our current government becomes incapacitated. We will only take over for as long as it takes to get our current democracy back into place. Though our purpose hasn’t changed, over the years many things have been adjusted within our ranks. About thirty years ago the president of the United States added espionage to our list of duties. We gather information on everything from the individuals who make up our current government, including both those voted in and those appointed, to domestic and foreign threats. We often find the intelligence first, and our findings then go to the CIA, FBI, or the president for further investigation. The AGI has been allowed to pilfer the best and the brightest from the CIA, FBI, and the military for decades. The AGI has become the most talented, effective, and relied-upon agency for intelligence worldwide. Our complete secrecy plays a large part in our success. Big players in our country and around the world have no idea we exist and therefore have no idea they should be watching out for us.”

          I was getting dizzy. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that my head was actually spinning. Could all of this be true? Just think of all of those conspiracy theorists being laughed at; turns out they weren’t as crazy as everyone thought. “Who knows about the AGI?”

          Westwood nodded as if my question was an acceptable one. “Only the current AGI agents, retired AGI agents, the current president, and past presidents. The president doesn’t find out about the AGI until the evening of his inauguration. We have infiltrated all ranks of government, and our agents acting as Secret Service and CIA collect the president for a meeting with the AGI before the first inaugural ball. Past presidents who are still alive and who wish to be involved continue to be part of the AGI.”

          They had infiltrated the CIA. That must have been how I got the letter with my reimbursement check. “If I was the top CIA recruit this year, won’t they extend me a job offer?”

          “I have no doubt they would have, if we hadn’t already sent them a letter from you saying that you have decided that a job in the Central Intelligence Agency isn’t for you and want to drop out of the running.”

          My eyebrows hit my hairline and I took in a deep breath, the shock of that reverberating through my system. What if I would rather work for the CIA? How dare they decide my fate. I’d guessed earlier that whatever this was, it was going to be my only chance at working in my desired field. Though the reality of that hit me like a hammer. I really did not appreciate a letter being sent on my behalf; if I'd decided to take a position with the AGI, couldn’t I have sent that letter myself? 

          “I know it seems intrusive, Ms. Edison, but we have good reasons for the way we do things here. Our procedures have kept us secret for well over half a century, and it’s imperative that we keep it that way.”

          I tried my best to swallow my anger, but it was a bitter pill. “So, to be clear, I either take this position, or I get nothing. Is that correct?”
         

Highlight:

          I knew that the thing I wanted to do the very least was my only real course of action. I needed to turn without a word and walk on. Lyon could spot a lie from a mile away. I didn’t want to get tangled up in a bigger mess than the one I’d already made earlier that morning. Reluctantly, I gave him one last look and took in a deep breath, rolling my lips between my teeth; turned on my black, knee-high booted heel; and walked away. 

          I only made it about three feet when Lyon grabbed me by the arm and swung me back around to face him. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest for so many reasons, though most notably were Lyon’s touch and my impending ruin. The look in his eyes was as cold as ice. “Kate Edison, are you really going to act like you don’t know me?”The words dripped with venom. 

          I hadn’t expected that. “Officer Lyon—”

          “Oh, so you do remember me? Maybe you also remember that you were my recruit? Do you remember that, Kate?”

          I nodded, eyes wide at his rage. 

          “Do you remember that you were the best recruit? The very best, Kate? Maybe you also remember that the last time I saw you I as much as told you that you had been selected and that I would be your trainer. Do you remember that, Kate?”

          I nodded, my mind spinning. 

          “Here’s what I remember, Kate Edison: I remember getting notified only a few minutes after you left the premises that you had dropped out. Just like that. The only explanation was that you didn’t feel like you were the right fit. You were the perfect fit, and you knew it. 

          “Here are a few other things you might find interesting, Kate. Your father did this exact same thing. As in exactly the same. He was the top recruit of his time, and he dropped out of the running with the same excuse. Is this some kind of weird family compulsion? You guys get the CIA to want you just so you can show us what we are missing?”He shook his head and huffed out a humorless laugh. “The powers that be were worried that dropping out was a family trait, but I had watched you for a long time and knew you would be a powerful officer. I begged to recruit you.”

          There were so many things to unpack in his statement that I hardly knew where to start. I decided that I would deal with the most imminent first. His hold on my arm was getting tighter with every sentence he spat out. I looked down at Lyon’s hand on my arm, and he let it go like a hot potato. I don’t think he realized he was still holding it. 

          Of all of the ways I had imagined seeing Lyon again, this very obvious outcome had never so much as crossed my mind. Of course he was mad at me. He had every right to be, and I had no way to defend myself. The desire to defend both my father and myself was almost overwhelming.  We were good people doing the best we could for our country, and I so badly wanted Lyon to know that. I respected Lyon, and I hadn’t really realized how much I wanted him to respect me. I literally vibrated with the desire to spill my guts. But my hands were tied, so tightly tied. 

          I blew out a large breath and rubbed my face. “I don’t know what to say, Lyon.”The understatement of the century. I needed to find a way not to lie to him but also to skirt the truth. “I know how this looks, but not everything is what it seems.”Could I be more vague? 

          Lyon stepped even closer to me, which put us nose to nose, and lightly skimmed the bandage on my face with his fingers. The touch felt intimate and intense, our breath mingling. I had completely forgotten about the bullet wound on my face until he touched it and I cringed, realizing the mess I must look. 

          His eyes didn’t leave mine, but he lowered his voice. “Kate, did someone make you drop out? Are you in some kind of trouble? I have played this over and over in my head, and I can’t make sense of your actions. I was the one who conducted your first interview, and I’ve watched the videos of your weeklong interview with us.  Those were not the actions of a person who was unsure of what she wanted. That person knew exactly what she wanted and stopped at nothing to prove herself. Those were not the actions of a quitter. I’m positive of it.”His hand went back to my arm, but softly this time. “Kate …what happened?”

          I internally wrung my hands. He was right, about everything. His questioning my safety was rational. I had no idea what to say. I shook my head, as if that would help me un-jumble my thoughts. My throat tightened, and my eyes stung at the absolute frustration I felt at my tongue being tied. 

          He watched me as my eyes filled up with tears, and pulled something from his pocket and slipped it into my hand. It was a business card. “The number on the back is my personal cell. It’s one-hundred-percent private. Please use it if you ever need me, Kate, for anything.” He took a deep breath in and moved forward, one of his hands coming up and cupping the back of my head. His fingers weaved in my hair, and his other arm wrapped around my back. His lips grazed the side of my head, and he gave me a long, tight squeeze. I inhaled a quick breath of his woodsy scent as the feather-light touch of his lips on my face set me on fire. I leaned my body into his, my arms automatically circling his waist. 

          Much sooner than I liked, he peeled his body away from mine, looked into my eyes, and whispered, “Anything.”

          And he walked away, without looking back. 

          My eyes followed him until he disappeared from my view. I took a deep breath and let it out forcefully as I looked down at the card. It was mostly blank—only his name and number on the front. He’d written his cell number on the other side. I flipped the card back to the front and saw his full name for the first time. Jacob Lyon. I wondered if he went by Jake. For some inexplicable reason, that made him even hotter. 

          I walked back into the coffee shop, knowing that Cave was expecting his coffee and likely wondering what the holdup was. While I was in line, I looked down at the card again, rubbing it lightly with my fingers. I could never call him. What would be the point? There was no future for us, not through our work, and unfortunately not personally. He thought I was in some kind of deep trouble, and it was easy to see that Lyon wanted to save me. But I didn’t need a hero or a friend who would bore into my personal and professional life. As attracted as I was to Jacob Lyon, there was no future for us. 

          And yet, as much as I knew the truth, I looked at the card again and committed his number to memory before throwing it in the trash.  

Review: 

Kate Edison is a lot like her father. Gifted with true photographic memory and knowing her father was employed by the CIA, she has only ever dreamed of following in his footsteps. Witnessing his death was a kick to the gut but solidified her decision to become the perfect agent. She’s done nothing but prepare herself for her inevitable future with the CIA. She attacks her training with gusto and breezes through much of it with top grades. But before completing the training, she is approached and recruited into a secretive government agency that no one even knows exists. Supposedly her father was actually one of their agents and with the way they severed any other chance at employment, she grudgingly accepts the offer. Swept up in their intense training program but inspired by the tech and espionage that surrounds her, she quickly throws herself right back into being the best. But she’s no idiot and it doesn’t take her long to begin to pick up on indicators that belie the integrity of the AGI. She can trust no one within the agency, but a chance meeting puts her back in contact with an ally from the CIA. Risking her life, she becomes a double agent, aiming to take out the AGI and all of its nefarious activities. Still on her own, but with support at her back, she endeavors to ferret out all of the information she can so that she can both take the AGI out and avenge her father’s death. If she makes it out alive, which is highly unlikely, she may be able to pull her life back together as an agent of the CIA and with a possible new love interest.

Let me first begin this review by stating that this is not typically my chosen genre. I have read several romantic suspense books, but never anything with even a hint of political thriller or espionage. However, I recently participated in a blitz for this book on my blog and was given a copy, so I figured I might as well check it out. Just to be clear, I am an avid fan of smutty romance, so this review will be something entirely different for me. That said, I will say that the romantic hussy in me was mollified by the slight bit of romance contained within this book. I listed it as part of the genre, and it is extremely slight but present none-the-less. And hallelujah, it went exactly as I wanted it to as far the romantic interest. I was worried for a bit, but Ms. Clayton did me a solid and brought it back around. Thank you for that.

It’s funny. As I was reading this book, I kept chanting to myself “oh what a tangled web we weave” because it was so appropriate. And not long after, the book actually mentions the phrase. I did suspect that something suspicious was going on when Kate’s father had died and I do not know how, but I was thinking something along the lines of what ends up being revealed. This is actually the opening prologue, so I am curious if others pick up on the tiny tidbits as well. Although I was super annoyed with every evil act being carried out, I was glad that I had been able to pick up on clues throughout the story, having zero idea what to expect within a book of this type. Now that I have completed the book, I am thrilled that I made the decision to read it. I have absolutely nothing to compare this book to since it is my first foray into an unfamiliar genre, but I can tell you with certainty that I will not shy away from such reads any longer. In several instances my heart was racing as I was reading. It was almost like a train-wreck. You know you are going to read things that upset and anger you, but you have no capability to look away or cease reading without ending the quest for truth. Kate is a badass! That’s all I can say about her. One tough chick, she isn’t afraid to do what is necessary and is always fighting for the good – well, until she realizes she isn’t, but quickly formulates a plan to correct that horrific detail. Some of the content is a bit rough. The awful scenes Kate is witness to and the torture endured at times had me a bit green on the gills. Fair warning. This is by no means a plot filled with sunshine and rainbows. The corruption runs deep – generations deep, in fact. And the road to redemption will be a bloody battle.

There are several other characters brought into this story whom I believe will make a return, I am just unsure in what capacity. Several were left behind at the AGI and didn’t have the slightest inkling what was happening. Others may have known, but didn’t leave, or couldn’t leave. Many of them I enjoyed and would enjoy encountering again. What I do know is that the story does not stop here. It would be a mistake for Ms. Clayton to attempt to wrap this plot up with a bow. Thankfully, she chose not to. Also, I much appreciated not ending the book in a cliffhanger. I despise them! The place in which this particular segment ends is fitting. Thoughtfully added was an introduction to the next book in the series and I found myself quite eager to dive in. Alas, the book is not yet scheduled for release, so wait I shall. I do wonder what the series title is called though. I can’t say that I ever once came across it … A perplexing and elusive question at this point. In any case, I feel that TEN SECONDS TO DEAD was an excellent choice in which to cut my teeth within a new genre. If you get worked up with espionage, injustices, and dishonesty, then maybe this won’t be a good fit. But if you get worked up in a good way, enjoy being on the edge of your seat, and refuse to put a book down because you absolutely must know what will transpire next, then this is likely going to be a good choice to read. At the worst, you discover you simply do not care for thrillers, and the best you uncover a hidden genre you would have otherwise never even given a second thought to. I fall in the later category and will definitely be revisting with Kate Edison when next she returns.

Kindle version provided by Expresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.