Total Immunity: A Novel of Crime

by: Robert Ward

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

Reviewed by Stephanie Boyd

Los Angeles FBI agents and partners Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo take down a diamond smuggler named Steinbach in a sting operation. But he doesn’t go down easy, and he promises his reach is long and that they will all die. Two of their friends and fellow agents are murdered, and Jack is sure Steinbach is behind it, but he can’t prove it. Then Steinbach makes a deal with Homeland Security for total immunity and it looks like he is going to walk away completely free. But there is more going on than Jack or Oscar ever dreamed. Steinbach may be involved but he isn’t working alone. Someone on the inside has to be feeding him information, and Jack’s gut says it is going to get much worse.

Total Immunity is a frighteningly realistic FBI thriller with a sadistic bad guy, an intricate twisted plot with danger, intrigue, and action on every page! I loved it. I had trouble relating to Jack in the beginning; he is too single minded when on a case and not at all sensitive to the needs of his family. I prefer a well-rounded hero and Jack falls short but there is hope, as by the end of the story he is starting to realize he is out of balance. And although the story doesn’t really follow Oscar home, comments he makes illustrate that he has the balance Jack is missing so it is possible to do their job well and have balance.

The plot in this tale is so diabolical that I wouldn’t want to turn my back on author Robert Ward– he writes betrayal exceptionally well! If you enjoy thrilling, suspenseful FBI tales with really well-done plot twists, you will like Total Immunity. This is my first book by Robert Ward but it will not be my last.

Armchair Interviews says: This author has many of his books and stories optioned for movies and TV.

Author’s Web site: http://www.Robert-Ward.com