Six days to stop a deadly attack. And no one else believes it’s real.
– Committed
[ About Committed ]
Former CIA undercover operative Ellen McGinley is battling to overcome PTSD when she stumbles upon a domestic terror plot. The deadly attack is due to take place in six days and will strike at the very heart of her homeland.
For Ellen, it’s a chance to find redemption for her greatest mistake – one she will never allow herself to forget.
But no sooner than she alerts the authorities, she finds herself diagnosed as delusional and locked in a psychiatric ward. No one believes her story.
She’s the only one who thinks the danger is real, which means she’s the only one who can stop it.
Ellen must draw on all her old skills to escape, stay alive, protect her family, and find those responsible – before all hell breaks loose.
[ My Review ]
‘Her heart rate has already rocketed. Her palms are sweaty.
It’s the familiar anticipation of having to act on those instincts she’s learnt to trust.
Learnt the hard way’
Committed by Chris Merritt published August 1st with Wildfire and is described as a ‘propulsive thriller you won’t want to miss.‘
Ellen McGinley is a former undercover CIA operative living in Pennsylvania. Now married, she lives with her husband, Harry, a local congressman and politician, and her young son, Josh. On a recent trip to Washington for a fundraiser with Harry, Ellen overhears a conversation that leaves her very concerned. Ellen is currently in recovery, in a battle to overcome PTSD, following on from a terrorist attack in Paris. She knows, from what little she heard at that Washington fundraiser, that there was mention of a possible domestic terror attack.
A week later, on her way to meet a contact, a professor who is an expert on domestic terrorism, Ellen is convinced she is being followed. Her paranoia becomes a reality when she finds herself face-to-face with a Sig Sauer pistol and her survival instincts kick in. But instead of being crowned a hero, Ellen is taken to a police station and from there to a psychiatric facility, where she is committed. No one takes her warnings seriously, with the medical personnel diagnosing her as delusional as a result of her PTSD. But Ellen knows what she heard and she also knows that time is critical.
Using her CIA training, Ellen must find a way out of this institution but, with no one on her side, the obstacles look insurmountable. Ellen has flashbacks of those traumatic days in Paris and these memories provide her with the strength to keep moving forward. She must escape. She must stop this potential threat. She is the only one who can stop the carnage.
In Committed, Chris Merritt has created a fabulous kick-ass and feisty heroine. Ellen McGinley is tough and determined. With the lives of so many at risk, Ellen knows that her life is nothing compared to those that could be destroyed if this threat to national security becomes a reality. Ellen has no time for fear. She uses all her wits and her operative training to go after those responsible.
Ellen must compartmentalise her personal life and dig deep to face her nemesis. When she does finally discover what the intention of this domestic terrorist cell is, Ellen is frightened but even more determined not to fail. To lose is not a luxury she has.
Jack Reacher, Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan all come to mind in this fast-paced and highly entertaining thriller, but with one major difference, Committed features a fabulously tenacious female protagonist. If you loved Steph Broadribb’s Lori Anderson series then this book is definitely for you.
‘The wound itself is about an inch and a half wide with a thick clot of blood across it. It’s a clean cut, and not deep, but too big to leave untreated. She runs an antiseptic wipe over it, wincing at the sting. Then she prepares the needle and thread. Psyches herself up.’
A race against time always makes for an intense page-turner and Chris Merritt has deftly applied this technique throughout leading to a seriously intense and engaging experience. A relentless, rapid, rollercoaster of a read, Committed is a highly enjoyable action-filled conspiracy thriller and one I most definitely recommend. I’m going to hazard a guess that this isn’t the end of Ellen McGinley, but we will have to wait and see!
[ Bio ]
Chris Merritt is a clinical psychologist and former diplomat. As a member of the British foreign service, he completed postings in Jerusalem and Iraq. He has also lived and worked in the US.
Committed is his eighth novel.
X ~ @DrCJMerritt
You’ve persuaded me to venture outside my comfort zone and try Committed! But my TBR pile and wish lists are ginormous – not as big as yours though !
Ooooh fab. Thanks so much Sheila!