Lone Star Book Blog Tour: High Treason by DiAnn Mills

DiAnn Mills does a wonderful job at creating compelling, complex characters and her book High Treason is no exception.. CIA operative Monica Alden is compassionate, complex, intuitive and deeply rooted in her faith – an agent with a  lot of heart and smarts.  Her presence is definitely challenged by FBI special agent Kord Davidson, who is loyal to his Saudi friends and dedicated to figuring out who is behind the assassination attempt – on his own.  Of course, sparks fly, but Mills keeps the tension between them high while remaining true to the inspirational nature of her writing. (Read: she keeps it clean.)

Having a CIA operative working on a case where the primary characters involved live in a very patriarchal society could have been tricky but the author handles it deftly. Monica is frustrated but works the situation with respect for their traditions and with intelligence, not letting ego get in the way of doing her job, and in the process gains their respect (and maybe even an admirer!) She balances out the tension with sharp wit that I quite appreciated. 

The story is fast paced and gripping, and the characterization felt authentic. I could feel the angst that the secrecy of keeping her CIA life undercover from family and friends caused Monica; the tension and distrust of her presence as shown by Ali and other members of the Prince’s staff was palpable.

As I noted briefly above, High Treason crosses genres between mystery, suspense, romance, and inspirational.  Faith definitely plays a more prominent role in this book versus other inspirational novels I’ve read of late. The religious differences between Prince Omar and his family and staff are handled respectfully, and Monica’s faith is recognized by them and appreciated – something that is nice to see given the current environment. Monica’s faith is something that drives her, while Kord is a self-declared agnostic, hoping to find something to believe in.  His conversion felt a bit sudden and awkward, but didn’t detract from the pace of the story.

While the third entry in her FBI Task Force series, this book works as a stand-alone – although, honestly, I would LOVE to see Monica Alden and Kord Davidson working together to solve more cases. I really adored Monica’s character and hated to see her story end.

This was a book that once picked up, I couldn’t put it down – I may have read it in one sitting and I have the piles of laundry and dishes to prove it. (I don’t regret it, either!)  If you are a fan of Sandra Brown or Heather Graham and appreciate a taut mystery (with a clean romance), you need to check out DiAnn Mills and High Treason.