Tough Justice

Starred review from February 7, 2022
O’Fallon launches her K-9 Special Ops series, a spin-off of her Federal K-9 series, with this expertly wrought romantic suspense novel. DEA Special Agent Adam “Deck” Decker has been determined to keep drugs off the streets ever since his sister OD’d at 16—and even more so after his colleague is nearly killed responding to a drug-related call. Dr. Tori Sampson has a long-standing family grudge against the DEA, but with a deadly new opioid killing people left and right in her ER, she has no choice but to work with Deck. As they hunt for a solution, it becomes clear that someone is after them—and is willing to kill. Meanwhile, Deck’s K-9 partner, a Belgian Malinois named Thor who falls in love with Tori even faster than his human does, steals every scene he’s in. O’Fallon’s 23 years of experience as a federal agent shows in her attention to detail, and she peppers her fast-paced plot with plausible red herrings, keeping readers guessing right up until the pulse-pounding finale. Readers won’t want to put this one down.