Striking Distance

By Debra Webb

On A One–Woman Manhunt

CIA recruit Tasha North was assigned to draw out an unknown assassin and neutralise him–to take whatever risks were required. Her target was a ruthless killing machine with no conscience, no fear and a black hole for a heart. He had ear–marked the dynamic head of the Colby private investigation agency for termination, but Tasha was determined to stop him at all costs.

She soon discovered that carnal seduction was the key Years of rage and fantasies of revenge had destroyed any semblance of human emotion in him, yet when he took Tasha in his arms the two 'connected'. Penetrating his personal fortress was the only hope she had–and she'd have to use her heart as bait.

'Striking Distance by Debra Webb is a fast–moving, sensual blend of mystery and suspense, with multiple story–lines, an unusual hero and heroine, and an ending that escapes the trap of being too pat. I thoroughly enjoyed it.'–New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Sep 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781742893556

Debra Webb

DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 170 novels, including reader favorites the Finley O'Sullivan series, the Colby Agency, and the Lookout Mountain Mystery series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra's love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com.

Reviews for Striking Distance

[susan402 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though not part of the Harlequin Intrigue category, this book continues a story that is on-going within that line. However, this part of the Colby Agency saga was just too good to try to whittle down to 75,000 words. So it emerges as a single-title novel which will hopefully be found by Webb’s Colby devotees who may be left wondering, Hey, when did that happen? After all, this is the all-important and much anticipated story of Victoria and Lucas, and also solves the mystery of what really happened to Victoria’s son, James Colby, Jr.. But since this book is so stand-alone excellent, let me try to talk about it on its own.There are really two sets of protagonists in this story, Victoria Colby and Lucas Camp, and the mysterious assassin named Seth and green CIA agent Tasha North. Usually this kind of multi-plot in a romance takes away from the overall appeal and suggests that neither couple is strong enough to have carried the book. However, that is certainly not the case here, and the way the Colby series developed makes this approach all the more satisfying. Victoria Colby is a hunted woman. Readers have never really known until this book why she has been stalked all these years by Errol Leberman. All we have known is that Leberman was responsible for the kidnap, torture, and murder of Victoria’s husband, James Colby, and that Victoria believes him to also be responsible for the kidnapping of their child, James Colby Jr., a child she believes has been dead for eighteen years. Leberman’s grudge extends to Lucas Camp, James Colby’s close friend, and a friend and confidant to Victoria all these years that she has dedicated herself to making her late husband’s private investigations firm, the Colby Agency, the best in the business. Lucas’s background is varied, heroic, and more secret than the mere CIA. He’s currently involved in Mission Recovery, Webb’s spin-off series from Colby, in which he recruits only the best of the best for his covert operations. All these years that he has stood by her, Lucas has been waiting for Victoria to be ready to put away her grief and move on. And it seems, at the beginning of Striking Distance that she is finally ready to put the past behind her and act on her long-suppressed feelings for Lucas.This, of course, makes it the perfect time for Leberman to launch his ultimate plot against Victoria. He has an assassin waiting in the wings, ready to finally take her life now that she is finally ready to live it again. An assassin who calls himself Seth, and who is cold, ruthless, and just as dedicated to Victoria’s destruction as Leberman himself. An assassin Leberman has been training these past eighteen years…Lucas knows that Leberman has an assassin following Victoria. He knows that in Leberman’s twisted mind, this would be the perfect time to strike. And yet he doesn’t know why the assassin hasn’t yet made a move against her. He needs someone to get close to the killer. Someone who would qualify as the best of the best, and yet, someone who is not so versed in field operations that Seth won’t spot her as an agent right away.Enter Tasha North. Not your typical Harlequin heroine. She’s not shy and retiring, she hasn’t been so focused on other things that she doesn’t have any experience with men. This is a woman who knows that she’ll need every weapon at her disposal to eliminate the threat against Victoria Colby and earn herself a spot on the Mission Recovery Team. She knows her assets and she’s not afraid to use them. The relationship between Tasha and Seth seems impossible given Seth’s nearly inhuman qualities. But the sort of challenge that presents to the heroine and the author makes it all the more appealing. Webb handles their relationship in a way that is believable under the circumstances, rather than falling into the trap of creating some sudden, implausible about-face in one of her characters as so many authors are wont to do. I found Striking Distance to be an excellent read, as well-paced as a Robert Ludlum adventure, but with better characters and believable romantic entanglements. Definitely worth any extra trouble to obtain, especially for Colby Agency fans.If you haven’t read the Colby Agency series, start with Webb’s Safe By His Side (ISBN: 0-373-22583-0), Harlequin Intrigue #583.