A deadly influence by Mike Omer begins immediately with an overly tense circumstance as Abby should talk a suicidal man off of a ledge in NYC. This scene truly grab you into the story, while beginning to give you glimpses into Abby’s character.

As “A dangerous impact” by Mike Omer advances, chapter start to recount the story from alternate points of view. So we get an early look into the brain of an obviously obsessed and disturbed person. The chapters are short and the continuous changes in viewpoint give proper foundation to the characters while building the suspense. I think the author “Mike Omer” did a great job of telling the story from these alternate points of view. The characters all appear to be extremely realistic, with their own quirks and special details.

Protagonist Abby Fletcher is a NYPD lieutenant, hostage negotiator, and a single parent of two. She is contacted by a stranger, Edie Fletcher, who needs Abby to track down her missing child. Eight-year old Nathan’s kidnappers demanded a $5 million ransom. Afterwards, Abby discovers that Edie is a childhood friend. A friend from a terrible past Abby doesn’t have any desire to remember. This trope has Abby blazing back to her awful, nearly forgotten childhood in a male-ruled cult. Indeed, that is another trope. Cult leaders require cash and power, so their guile, greed and grift lead to much more worse.

The storyline of kidnapping transforms to murder, then to a police procedural with superb distractions, covered up motives, and a few twists. A special sub-plot includes Nathan’s teen influencer sister, a minor web-based media star with 70,000 followers. A domestic sub-plot includes Abby’s family, her ex who’s a maths professor and a author, her child Ben, and Samantha, her teenaged, violinist daughter. I enjoyed the various, third person points of view, including that of young Nathan and his nearly well-prepared kidnapper.

“A dangerous impact” by Mike Omer really draws you in, as new details are uncovered and the tension increase. Portrayals of social media posts make the story appear current and realistic; while simultaneously terrifying. Even when certain secrets are solved, there are still high stakes, perilous circumstances that made it difficult for me to put the book down until the end. I additionally valued how Abby’s well-established character subtleties and foundation added to a legitimate and fulfilling end. There is another mystery presented toward the end, which I think will be addressed in future books of the series. Recommended read to those people who love reading suspense thrillers.

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Book Review Podcast ( A Deadly Influence: By Mike Omer )