Review: Before It's Too Late by Sara Driscoll

Print Length: 304 pages

Publisher: Kensington Press (September 26, 2017)

From Goodreads.com: Somewhere in the Washington, D.C., area, a woman lies helpless in a box. Beneath the earth. Barely breathing. Buried alive. In Quantico, the FBI receives a coded message from the woman’s abductor. He wants to play a game with them: decipher the clues, find the grave, save the girl. The FBI’s top cryptanalysts crack the code and Special Agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, scramble to follow a trail of false leads to the scene of the crime. By the time they solve the puzzle, it’s too late. But the killer’s game is far from over . . .

Soon another message arrives. Another victim is taken, and the deadly pattern is repeated—again and again. Each kidnapping triggers another desperate race against time, each with the possibility of another senseless death. That’s when Meg decides to try something drastic. Break the Bureau’s protocol. Bring in her brilliant sister, Cara, a genius at word games, to decipher the kidnapper’s twisted clues. Meg knows she’s risking her career to do it, but she’s determined not to let one more person die under her and Hawk’s watch. If the plan fails, it could bite them in the end. And if it leads to the killer, it could bury them forever . . .

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Let me begin this review by saying that you do NOT have to have read the first book in this series in order to make sense of this one. While it appears that there are some things from the first story mentioned in this one, it isn't enough for readers to not understand this novel.

That being said, this story was non-stop drama and action almost from the get-go. I found it interesting the different ways the killer used to achieve the same goal (different ways of suffocation). There were also little snippets of historical facts placed at the beginning of each chapter that I really enjoyed. It wasn't overbearing, but enough to kind of give a hint as to how that particular chapter was going to go. 

I do have to admit the fact that Meg's sister Cara is super skilled at puzzles and Cara's boyfriend is a fount of knowledge about the civil war was a little too convenient, the overall writing was enough that I was able to overlook those small things. 

There were times when I wondered if Meg and her team (or lack thereof in same cases) would be enough to save a life, but in the end the story did not disappoint. I would read more from this author. 

Overall, I am sure this story may appeal to those who enjoy a good thriller novel. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                 Before It's Too Late is available from Amazon.com