Red Emeralds (Book) - 4/13/2010 7:09:56 AM
Zach is Back!
Everyone is after the Red Emeralds. The Red Emeralds are three identical paintings, one of which conceals some very dangerous information. For Erin McShane, it may be the final clue to locating her long lost father, Senator William McShane. To Toni Manzano, the beautiful and deadly assassin for hire, finding the paintings is a lucrative contract. Some, like the Baldacci and Santiago crime families, are more than willing to kill for the information they are rumored to hide. Zach Taylor and his partner Sabrina Calabrese hope to find data that will reveal the traitor who has infiltrated the Federal Law Enforcement Agency.
Welcome back to the always dangerous world of Zach Taylor. In the third book of the series, Spencer Dane gives us another fast-paced tale with a roller coaster of a plot. With all these diverse individuals chasing after the same thing, there are bound to be some great collisions.
In Red Emeralds, we get to check in on all our favorite characters from Blue Diamonds and White Gold. The unresolved love triangle of Erin McShane, Jocelyn Haley, and Zach Taylor takes a deadly turn. Whoever is trying to kill Zach doesn’t mind using his romantic partners as bait. A few of the minor characters like John Rollo and Lexi Patrakas grow to take on new importance in this book. And, to keep everything off-balance, a rumored but never seen villain known only as “The German” could be the ghost in the machine who is pulling everyone’s strings.
Red Emeralds is an excellent addition to the Zach Taylor series. As always, Dane writes knowledgeably when it comes to tactics and weapons. He knows how to provide enough detail to inform the reader without slowing the pace. Most of the loose threads are tied up in Red Emeralds, but there is enough unresolved that we can look forward to more Zach Taylor adventure in future novels.
White Gold (Book) - 6/28/2008 4:21:28 AM
Zach Taylor may have thought he was retiring to his Arizona ranch, but guys like him always end up in the middle of the action. In White Gold, book 2 of the series by Spencer Dane, trouble comes looking for Zach Taylor. Valeria, the daughter of Miami crime boss Don Carlos Santiago, has been kidnapped and Zach is recruited by her husband Matt Crawford to rescue her. Zach needs to put together a team of experts to find a legendary cache of lost Nazi white gold worth a billion dollars and pay the ransom. And, he has to do it all in 10 days. To make things more interesting, Zach’s up and down romance with Erin McShane seems to end with her sudden disappearance. Stepping up to fill the void is Zach’s high school girlfriend, movie star and avowed enemy of Erin McShane, Jocelyn Haley. Jocelyn wants him back and isn’t going to take no for an answer.
In White Gold, Zach doesn’t get to have all the fun. Erin is off on an adventure of her own. The beautiful investigative journalist is on her most dangerous assignment as she tries to learn the truth about the disappearance of her father, Senator William McShane.
The fast-paced White Gold picks up where Blue Diamonds left off with a tight plot full of unexpected twists and turns. All our favorite characters were back and Dane added some new ones for us to enjoy. Again, Dane gets all the details right when it comes to the strategy and equipment the characters use. He lets us know just enough that we understand what’s going on without slowing the action down. We get to peek under the hood of Zach Taylor and see a little bit of what’s behind the strong and silent persona. And, best of all, we get a hint about a third book. The plot of White Gold is resolved, but Dane lets us know that Zack Taylor is in for some more action in the next book.
Blue Diamonds (Book) - 6/7/2007 2:35:39 PM
"THIS IS A KEEPER ! I've read this twice, it's that good. For
a first novel, Dane has nailed it. It's fast- paced, but involves
so many different scenes and people (all of which grab
your interest), that one is mesmerized by how they all fit
together. There's more than one hero as well (letting you
pick your own favorite), and yet that doesn't take from the
story at all. All in all I'd have to give this four stars at
least." —Carroll M. Jones, author of Murder on Margin
"A GOOD READ. Blue Diamonds starts with a bang then
the excitement accelerates in this story of larger-than-life
law enforcement agents investigating organized crime and
its connection to terrorist activity." —Nancy Madison, author of
Whispers, Clues to Love, and Never Love a Stranger.
Blue Diamonds (Book) - 1/31/2007 10:53:57 AM
Author Spencer Dane doesn’t waste any time getting the plot rolling in Blue Diamonds. A few pages in and there’s already a body count. Zachary Taylor, the protagonist, is a complicated hero who would rather spend a quiet evening listening to classical music than participate in a shoot out. Naturally, this fast-paced story doesn’t allow Zach his wish. Blue Diamonds follows the trail of a dozen rare diamonds stolen from Greek Jews during the Holocaust. The diamonds weave their way around Zach, a powerful mafia don, a corrupt Congressman, a beautiful and mysterious diamond broker, and Zach’s former girlfriend—an investigative reporter who will do almost anything to get her story, maybe even endanger Zach! It’s a great story with plenty of action, intrigue and unexpected plot twists.
You can tell Dane did his homework on this book. When Zach calls on his military or police training, you can bet that it’s 100% correct. Dane gives you accurate information about weapons and tactics without bogging the story down with unnecessary details.
The characters are well drawn and avoid the clichés so common in this genre. Zach, while being a highly-trained and very lethal man, is deeply religious and truly doesn’t like to kill. At one point in the book, he notices that a dead hit man he shot is Catholic and he calls in a priest to perform last rites. The book is tightly plotted. Besides Zach and his partner Sabrina, it’s hard to tell the complete agendas of the other major characters. And just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the plot throws you another curve ball.
In summary, the book is well written. It’s a fun read with lots of good characters and an engaging plot. It was hard not to finish it in one sitting. I’ve heard that Blue Diamonds is the first in a trilogy of books about Zachary Taylor. I’m impatiently looking forward to the next two!
