Dead Love

When a terrorist attack is unleashed on a major US metropolitan area, the lives of a beautiful scientist, her military lover, and two FBI agents become intertwined. As the government races to contain the spreading damage and the FBI closes in on the perpetrators, the officer must choose between protecting his lover and the oath he took to defend his country. A captivating suspense thriller full of sharp turns and surprising twists, Linda Wells’s story is so frighteningly real it could have been pulled off the day's headlines. Her deft handling of multiple viewpoints lends breadth and emotional depth that resonates long after the cover is closed.As chilling as it is erotic and sexy, Dead Love will draw you in from page one as its relentless pacing drives toward its shattering climax.

From Kirkus Reviews

Wells delivers a debut thriller about a biological terrorist attack, the people determined to stop it and the woman at the heart of it all. After the FBI receives notice of a possible terrorist threat in a New York subway, citizens start experiencing flu-like symptoms, beginning with Joey, the maintenance worker who first found a suspicious canister. Soon people who have recently traveled by subway start falling ill. Agents Reed and Strickland’s investigation into possible stolen hazardous materials takes them to Maryland-based Edgewood Laboratories—where assistant lab director Dr. Suzy Chen may know more about the pandemic than she’s willing to admit. Wells opens her novel with the chillingly steady progression of an epidemic, gradually introducing pertinent characters, including Joey; Maggie, the flight attendant who takes the train to work; and Dave and Christina, two doctors at a hospital that starts admitting potentially infected patients. The author develops characters through their relationships with one another—Reed and Strickland’s mutual appreciation of each other’s skills, Christina’s and married Dave’s affair, and, especially, Suzy’s love for Lt. Col. Maxwell Graham of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Wells astutely zeroes in on Suzy, her connection to an enigmatic group brazenly called the Organization, and her romance with Max during and prior to the outbreak. The novel provides copious, frankly intimate scenes of the two lovers, but with a residual prudence—proclamations of love abound, with “love words” and “aching” hearts. However, Wells never misses an opportunity to include eloquent details throughout the story; meals, in particular, lovingly itemize foods in a manner that will likely induce hunger pangs. The book is a swift read—chapters average less than four pages each—and a shocking scene near the end draws the story to a worthy denouement. A tightly plotted, satisfying mystery-thriller.

From the Back Cover

When a terrorist attack is unleashed on a major US metropolitan area, the lives of a beautiful scientist, her military lover, and two FBI agents become intertwined. As the government races to contain the spreading damage and the FBI closes in on the perpetrators, the officer must choose between protecting his lover and the oath he took to defend his country.A captivating suspense thriller full of sharp turns and surprising twists, Linda Wells's story is so frighteningly real it could have been pulled off the day's headlines. As chilling as it is erotic and sexy, Dead Love will draw you in from page one as its relentless pacing drives toward its shattering climax.

About the Author

Linda Wells brings her own background to her latest novel, Cypress Lake. Like her heroine, Wells grew up in Florida and went on to travel the world as a flight attendant.Before taking to the skies, Wells attended the University of South Florida in Tampa. Through her work, she has lived in Atlanta and Chicago. She now makes her home in the Midwest, where she enjoys both reading and writing mysteries. She is the author of three thrillers: Dead Love, Dead Promise, and Cypress Lake: A Romance Thriller. She is hard at work on her fourth. Find out more by visiting Linda at lindawellsbooks.com

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