Fatal Exchange by Lisa Harris

• Series: Southern Crimes (Book 2)
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Revell (May 6, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800721918
• ISBN-13: 978-0800721916

Emily Hunt might come from a family of cops, but she never goes looking for an adrenaline rush. She lives the quiet–well, relatively quiet–life of a teacher and thrives on making a difference in the lives of her students. But she’ll have to draw on a well of strength and savvy she didn’t know she had as student Rafael Cerda takes her class hostage for ransom money to save his brother’s life.
Undercover cop Mason Taylor has been working with Rafael to find his brother and bring the cartel thugs who hold him to justice. Can he talk Rafael down from his impulsive actions? And is there something more sinister at work here than he realizes?

Fatal Exchange draws readers into a complex matrix of intertwining lives and unraveling secrets, where every answer creates more questions. Romantic suspense fans will hardly want to come up for air.

My take on this book:

Fast paced, suspense filled, page turning mystery that's just a few of the phrases that come to mind after reading Fatal Exchange. Along with a fast paced plot the characters were very well fleshed, and came off as very realistic, and for me that allowed me to connect with this story, becoming invested not only in the mystery but in the lives of the characters as well. The romance was a bit light but it make the story seem more authentic, really it was the perfect blending! Honestly that is what made this a great read for me, the author knew how to create a scene without diverging to much information as to overwhelm, for example there were murders mentioned but they weren't graphic, which is something I always appreciate. 

Fatal Exchange by Lisa Harris is the second book in the Southern Crimes series and truthfully while the author does provide enough information for this to be a stand alone read, I would say that anyone who enjoys a suspense filled romance with  more than a few twists will want to read the first book as well. Murder, suspense and a twisting plot that provides a few punches that aren't anticipated is what readers are going to find with Fatal Exchange.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.