Double Tap by Cindy Dees has an action-packed plot with riveting characters. Her heroine, Helen Warwick, can best be described as a soon-to-be senior citizen, female version of Mitch Rapp. This story combines a thriller, having two spies going after each other, with a mystery, a serial killer who tortures and kills women.
“Helen can be described as a soon-to-be senior citizen female Mitch Rapp. He is one of my absolute favorite authors. Part of why is because he is not afraid to have bad things happen. I find his books fascinating thought processes involving the ‘what if.’ He pulls the trigger on stories and allows them to be challenging, ugly, or difficult. He will put his characters through things, which takes real courage as a writer, carrying through the repercussions. He still delivered stories that were satisfying and had good triumph over evil in the end. For me, any thriller must have good triumphing over evil and mysteries must have justice triumphing over crime.”
The book opens at a DC press conference. Helen has decided to support her three children, Mitch, Peter, and Jayne, which is why she is attending the news conference playing the elderly mother. Mitch is the acting district attorney for Washington D.C. and is announcing his candidacy for the permanent position. As Mitch steps up to the microphone, she sees the ominous green light of a gun laser fixed on her son’s head. She pushes the would-be assassin out of the way and saves her son’s life.
“Her reflexes are not quite as sharp, not as fast, and she does not see a lot of respect for elders. She is resentful that her children have tried to placate her. She lost her job because of her age. Wisdom comes with age and experience. She is frustrated that her wisdom is being tossed out. Helen sees some sexism in that her handler, Yosef, who is the same age as hers, is put at a desk for his wisdom, while she is tossed out. I wanted to show how in the workplace and maybe with society at large older people are taken for granted. Helen is not quite an elder, but not young. She is in the frustrating middle ground because people do not give her enough credit. She does use her age by dressing old and greying her hair. Helen figures that since she cannot fight it, she will lean into it. She must prove repeatedly that she is competent.”
While investigating who wanted to hurt her son, she is approached by her former boss, James Wagner, Director of the CIA, about returning to work for one more mission. The mission is to find the man named Scorpius who has been a deep undercover mole working for and with the Russian FSB for over a decade. Resentful of Wagner because he had told her that after thirty years of service, she was too old to continue and must retire. But being a patriot and protective of her family, Helen reluctantly agrees to rejoin the CIA and lead a team looking for the mole because her family is being threatened figuratively and literally. The plot then becomes a cat and mouse game pitting Helen against Scorpius.
Scorpius and the serial killer are both hunters, smart, organized, observant, careful, stealthy, and sociopaths. Sociopathy is a spectrum. The more organized they are the more manipulative and subtle they are. There are three sociopaths in this book. Danny, the son is very disorganized, impulsive, with not much control. Scorpius is a charismatic sociopath, goal-driven, disciplined, and can contain his violence and anti-social behavior.”
The novel is shocking at times, emotionally charged, and pulse-pounding. There is plenty of danger, violence, and intrigue. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they turn the pages.
