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A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stefanie Pintoff returns following Hostage Taker (Eve Rossi #1) with CITY ON EDGE (Eve Rossi #2) a riveting urban contemporary series, featuring Eve Rossi negotiator FBI agent for an intense suspense roller-coaster crime thriller ride. (love the cover)

As the previous book, the setting is centered around a holiday. Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the night before the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. A national event of historic proportions—not to mention a special family day that kids of all ages enjoy.

Perched high above Central Park West, Eve had an unparalleled view of the city from the penthouse terrace. Straight ahead, the park was a fiery swath of oranges, yellows, and reds. To the right, she could trace the Manhattan skyline down to the One World Trade Center. On her left, the rooftops of Harlem stretched in a wide arc.

Mind over matter, she told herself. Control was just an illusion.

Special Agent Evangeline Rossi (Eve) is head of a secret division of the FBI. Most of the eclectic team is a mix of highly intelligent professionals, criminals, and ex-convicts, a secret squad known as the VIDOCQ Unit. Meet the Team.

Eva, age 34, single, a Caucasian Italian, a perfectionist. She likes to control and does not delegate well. She is a seasoned interrogator and hostage negotiator. Her expertise is in behavioral science and criminal investigative analysis, subspecialties in kinesics and paralinguistics.

Her mother is deceased, and stepfather was a former CIA operative, also recently deceased. She loves crosswords puzzles, a concert pianist, and an avid runner. She is dedicated to her work, to make the place a better place. She possesses great insights into the criminal mind that most agents of her age do not possess.

Three and a half million people crammed onto the streets. Every year, it’s a miracle when nothing happens. The goal was simple: to erect a secure cordon that would be as impenetrable as a medieval fort.

With clever maps and visuals with Classified VIDOCQ file personal tidbits to get the low down on each agent, Pintoff sets the mood in the vibrant city with its set of problems. Lives are at stake. Security is imperative. However, as the balloons are inflated, things take a turn for the worse.


A protest unexpectedly turned violent. Police Commissioner Logan Donovan was brutally attacked on what should have been a day of celebration and Thanksgiving, gets shot. Then his thirteen-year-old daughter, Allie, has been kidnapped.

The search is on and tension is high. However, this may be more than a simple kidnapping. A terrorist threat targeting, the parade? Was the commissioner attacked in retaliation for Stan Smith’s death while in police custody? A threat to public safety? They need to keep the city safe.

With an eclectic group of agents (ex-cons) they all have special skills and criminal records. They put their skills to work for the government or do time in jail. At one point Eve had felt completely unsuited to lead her team of ex-cons and barely reformed thugs. With nothing in common with them. They were talented, unpredictable, and strangely loyal. They were her responsibility.

A ticking time bomb and Eve and the FBI’s Vidocq team brought together a group of ex-cons-men and women with extraordinary talents; who could solve crimes using methods that ordinary agents never could.

The department had been involved in a number of cases, too many unarmed suspects shot by cops. The Commissioner was also widowed now, and the media would be cruel. Her team has been charged with finding Allie and bringing her home, with some other politics going on at the same time.

Not the easiest task. Eve would do her job. She had dealt with plenty of powerhouses over the years. She would do her job, find the child, and make sure Commissioner Logan Donovan kept his distance.

There is more Eve and her team doesn't know—about a weapon planted inside the parade, about Commissioner Donovan’s hidden life, and about the secrets his daughter keeps. Eve must decide which is more dangerous.

Action-filled, an edgy, crime suspense of police brutality, corruption, deceit, and lies. As always, fun catching up with the mix of agents and their varied personality and skill sets, with some thought-provoking decisions for Eve for the next installment!

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