
The Lesser Evil by The Black Rose is a continuation of the Killing Game series, being book five in that series. Ives Andrich, Director of Operations for the FBI is independently wealthy and considered by many to be a genius in criminal investigation. When Ives’ wife, is supposedly murdered Ives refuses to believe she is dead and investigations show she has been kidnapped by a shadowy, Neo-Nazi group intent on creating a nation built along the lines of racial purity and common purpose (sound familiar?) The purpose for kidnapping Ives’ wife becomes clear. This New World Order need Ives’ assistance to help them realise their dream and are holding his wife as a bargaining chip. They draw Ives to a large, private estate in Bavaria, where Ives is certain his wife is being held. Things, though, are not quite what they appeared to be originally and to secure her release Ives finds he must help these powerful men in their twisted schemes.
This is not the first of this series from The Black Rose (what a wonderful nom-de-plume) that I have read and I was excited to see where this tale was leading. I was not disappointed with this fast-paced and thought provoking narrative. What I really liked was that it wasn’t necessary to have read the previous four books in the series, to enjoy The Lesser Evil. While I would recommend reading them in order, the author did a fantastic job of explaining motivations and actions that related to previous books, with small asides in the commentary – excellent. A highlight, for me, in this book was the incredibly detailed and descriptive scene setting by the author. I really felt and recognised the grandeur of the Estate Ives was staying on. Similarly, the characters were well drawn and easily identifiable. This particular book dwelt much more on the two main characters, Ives and Herr Schultz and I enjoyed getting to know them more intimately. This was a wonderful read and I can highly recommend it to anyone who loves spy type, mystery, thrillers. I cannot wait to read the next instalment in these characters’ adventures.
