Three years ago, the nation gasped in horror when the President of the United States barely escaped an assassination attempt that left two dead—the vice president’s wife and the attempted assassin. Even after numerous investigations proved otherwise, conspiracy theorists argue that the assassin was acting on orders from the CIA, FBI, and every federal agency within a hundred miles of the capital.

Aspiring Author Dean Conway is the last person Lieutenant Commander Murphy Thornton wants to spend his Saturday afternoon when they end up at the same wedding reception table. While their wives tend to bridesmaid duties, Murphy is trapped listening to Dean’s latest work-in-project—completing the manuscript of an investigative journalist who’d disappeared months earlier.

“She was number twelve,” Dean says.

“Twelve?” Murphy asks.

“Twelve witnesses connected to or investigating The Nutcracker shooting have died either in an accident or suicide.”

Two days later, Dean dies suddenly―but not before sending a text message to Murphy:

“13”

The Nutcracker Conspiracy by Lauren Carr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

First of all, this is a thriller. While there are no bedroom scenes or what I would call vulgar language or graphic violence, the book would not be considered truly family friendly. I wasn’t offended by anything in the book. It tries to present a realistic picture of a very involved conspiracy Travis dark and full of twists and turns. If you like thrillers, this book should be a great fit for you.

I was quite impressed with the tale the author wove. I adored the dog, and the characters were rarely who they appeared to be on the surface. This us acfast-paced story and I commend the author for putting a cast list in the front of the book. It can be hard to keep everyone straight and this is an excellent tool for doing just that.

This is the first book I have ever read by this author and there is no doubt age possesses stellar story-telling skills. Sometimes I found myself not as invested in the characters as I would have liked to have been, but perhaps it is because this is book #4. Regardless, this book is story-driven and for a thriller, it probably makes sense for that to be the central focus.

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