Leverage

Four years ago, Tyler Karras’ quest to avenge his wife's death led to all out war with San Francisco's Russian Mafia. With the Bratva’s collapse and its king, Dmitri Chernov, long dead, all Ty wants now is to put it behind him and enjoy a second chance at life with his new bride, Hannah, and the child they're expecting any day.

But Chernov's heir, Grigory Dmitriev, has returned, bitter and determined. He wants his kingdom back, and he's more than willing to leverage Ty's new family to get it.

First he targets Conner, Ty’s brooding nineteen-year-old stepson, manipulating the boy into a vortex of sex, drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Then he turns his sights on Hannah. At eight months pregnant, she’s the ultimate bargaining chip. With all their lives in jeopardy, Ty has little choice but to do as Grigory commands.

But Tyler swore he'd never kill again. He buried that monster four years ago and means to keep it that way. Grigory, however, makes that vow impossible to keep.

With his new family on the line, Ty will cross further into the dark side than he ever has before, challenging everything he believes about himself, and forcing him to face the ghosts of his past. Only then will Ty discover if he has the strength to sacrifice his last chance at redemption and save the lives of those he loves most.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Nancy S. Thompson carries on the Karras story with her novel, Leverage, sequel to The Mistaken. And I must say, the continued story is quite intense. Tyler, Hannah, and Conner share their point of views, giving readers a full account of events including how the Russian Mafia settles into each of their lives, waiting to strike. 

Tyler is a recovered soul. He's beaten alcoholism and tamped down his haunted past. With Hannah as his wife and a baby girl on the way, Tyler is finally living, so close to forgiving himself for his mistakes. But all of that changes when Tyler's forced into action. Readers watch as he is morphed into a monster who will do whatever it takes to save his family. Empathy and fear will connect Tyler to readers. Understanding that he has no choice if he wants to see his family survive the Russian Mafia, Tyler is under command of the enemy. Readers will feel his pain as he struggles to stay sane enough to see his family safe. 

Hannah, close to term with her daughter, is a strong and incredible woman. The situations she survives in this sequel are definitely equal to, if not worse than, the first installment. Readers will connect with her motherly instincts and desire to protect her family. They will also respect Hannah for standing up for herself, her son, and her husband. Her beliefs are strong and though she is cast as the damsel in distress for most of the novel, what she overcomes is unbelievable. 

Conner is a new introduction. He's Hannah's son from her first marriage, but was absent in the first novel. Conner is not an easy character to like or relate to. But he is essential to the plot. Conner gets into a lot of trouble after the death/murder of his best friend. He gambles away money that isn't his, gets himself beat up, and puts himself in mortal danger, multiple times. Though, he was set up, Conner's decisions are his decisions. His personality is good for the most part, but he seems vengeful and quick to jump to conclusions. Especially about things he doesn't understand. But he is a teenager and we've all been there. 

The plot of this novel is absolutely terrifying. I was scared to keep reading for the sake of the characters. I didn't expect to care about them so much, but when you go through the worst with the main characters by your side, it's a commitment to see it through to the end. It was a little obvious, to the outsider, that the supportive characters in the novel were Russian plants. And I prayed that somehow they would escape the huge mess of Russian revenge. Thompson did an amazing job at pulling all of the information together from the first book and incorporating it into the new story line, adding a few twists and surprises from the past. Leverage is a book that cuts deep and is definitely directed at adult readers with strong stomachs. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups