Do or Die
Reluctant Heroes, Book # 1
In paperback and ebook from Ballantine Books
and audio from Blackstone Audio
First published in hardcover February 2014
Hero: Ian Dunn, former SEAL
Heroine: Phoebe Kruger, attorney at law
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Read an excerpt from the book
Suzanne Brockmann’s seamless blend of heroic military action and intense passion inspired USA Today to call her “a superstar of romantic suspense”–and for years her award-winning Troubleshooters books have been must-reads for fans of sizzling stories of action and adventure. Now the New York Times bestselling author shoots to thrill again with Do or Die, the electrifying new novel that is certain to win Brockmann new readers and delight devotees.
Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission . . . for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.
But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.
Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.
Or die trying.
Note from Suz: DO OR DIE is the first book in my new romantic suspense trilogy called “Reluctant Heroes.”
This new series is a Troubleshooters spin-off. In fact, DO OR DIE is set in the Troubleshooters world, so TS lovers will feel right at home. Martell Griffin, from FORCE OF NATURE (Ric & Annie, and Jules & Robin’s book) plays a large role in the story, as do Jules Cassidy’s FBI underlings, Deb and Yashi.
But all three of those characters come into DO OR DIE unhindered by layers of backstory from books past (it was getting heavy under all those layers, from sixteen books!), so the trilogy is handily accessible to new readers. Yes, Martell is still a very funny man, and he’s still working as a lawyer in Sarasota. And yes, Deb and Yashi are still employed by the FBI. They all bring their special skills and talents to DO OR DIE. (I do love writing from Martell’s point of view! You’ll be seeing more of him in books two and three, coming soon…)
And just to make “Reluctant Heroes” even more warmly familar, the book’s hero is a former Navy SEAL (and an alleged international art and jewel thief!) named Ian Dunn. When the story starts, Ian is serving time in a Florida state prison for a relatively low-level crime. The heroine is a lawyer named Phoebe Kruger who gets entangled with Ian over the course of several extremely action-packed days.
DO OR DIE is a fun, upbeat book (shades of Kenny Karmody’s book, OUT OF CONTROL–which I think of as my version of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” meets “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” meets the Troubleshooters series!), with plenty of action, thrills, and suspense, along with fast-paced sparring and sparks between Ian and Phoebe. (I hope you’re going to like it!)
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Available Digitally