Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason {book review}

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

What a twisty, complicated story! This was an atypical Lynette Eason read for me in that I was not able to figure out very many details prior to a couple of pages before the twists or reveals came. Sometimes her books are more predictable to me (yet still quite enjoyable), but this one kept me guessing throughout. Something that aided that was the high tension present in every chapter and the stakes that kept ramping up with each turn of events.

The style was good overall. I did struggle at times to keep a few characters straight. I think this was because many names were given in a few patches early on. That made it more difficult for me to settle in to which characters were POV holders and which were supporting. It settled out in my mind eventually, but this was a bit of a struggle for me. There were a handful of word or phrase choices that bugged me, and they seemed out of character for the author compared to her earlier books. Other aspects of the style were great. The author voice was clear, the military details seemed spot-on, and the human trafficking aspect appeared well researched and applied. My reading experience was enhanced by the details of the way of life in Afghanistan, particularly as it pertained to American female military personnel, as this helped me immediately feel immersed in the tale.

The plot twists were fabulous, and I never really got a foothold on figuring things out ahead of time. Usually, with an Eason book, I can figure out one or two of the main bad guys way before the big reveal. This time, though, I was unable to do so. The pacing and surprises and high tension lent themselves well to creating an edge-of-my-seat reading experience that kept me mentally off kilter in the best way.

One thing I always know I’m getting with an Eason book is fantastic, well-developed characters. This book continued that trend, and I was happy to get to know the cast as I moved from one chapter to the next. The supporting characters were just as developed as the leads, which increased the quality of the book as well as perfectly set up the next one in the series (because, yes, now I’m completed psyched and ready to read Sarah’s story—so glad she’s up next!). The problems they each faced were raw and real-life and well executed. Because of that, this story felt organic and realistic and like it was happening to people who could have pounded on my door for a safe hiding spot from the bad guys in pursuit.

Overall, this story was another winner from Mrs. Lynette Eason. It’s a great fit for fans of military fiction, real-world problems, and thrillers. It was a great start to the Danger Never Sleeps series, and it left me eager to reach the next installment’s release date, which definitely won’t arrive soon enough.

Triggers: PTSD (a main theme), human trafficking

Content: a smidge of graphic war violence in an early chapter