They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer but what if you can't tell the difference? For security consultant Desiree Jacobs, the assignment is simple: make off with an ancient Mayan artifact, and hand it over to the good guys in time to plan her wedding to ultra-fine FBI agent, Tony Lucano.Yet, in a world where no one is as they seem, Desi must decipher who the good guys are-before she ends up in the hands of a ruthless enemy. Suddenly, artifact recovery turns into archaeological espionage, and the woman who finds all the answers must now ask questions. Who's looting priceless antiquities underneath the nose of the baffled Mexican government? And what does a violent gang of drug and human traffickers have to do with missing artifacts?
Corporate sabotage. Stolen antiquities. Sexual slavery. Murder. Security specialist, Desiree (Desi) Jacobs thought she was just testing a security system when she successfully stole the valuable headdress of Pakal in Reluctant Smuggler. Instead, she found herself in the middle of an art theft investigation because valuable antiquities had been disappearing from museums and archaeological digs in Mexico. Though she wants to go home to plan her wedding to FBI agent Tony Lucano, she ends up on the Yucatan Peninsula, where there had been two thefts in less than one hour.
In a Boston blizzard, Tony’s boss sends his team to raid a ship suspected to be carrying sex slaves. When the raid goes badly for Tony, it’s not only a question of whether he will survive to see his wedding, but if he will be physically able to return to the FBI.
As Desi’s and Tony’s investigations mesh, a gang leader called El Jaguar seems to be behind both the sex slave trade and the art thefts.
Reluctant Smuggler, the third book in the To Catch a Thief series, begins with a fast-pace and fascinating characters. It slows down in the middle as Tony’s health crisis distracts the reader from the main plot a little too long but speeds up again nearer the end. Both Tony and Desi face situations that exceed their abilities and require dependence on God.
This book doesn’t contain much scripture but depends more on reader familiarity with Christian ideas of dependence on God and personal responsibility. It includes a set of discussion questions in the back. It was enjoyable and I would like to read books one and two in the series. - Debbie Wilson, www.christianbookpreviews.com
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
8 of 15 Reviews Showing:(View All Reviews)
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Novel Teen Book Reviews (Oregon), October 14, 2009
Review by Gretchen Hoffman
I was so excited when Reluctant Smuggler came out. I started reading the series when the first two books were out, but I had to wait for this one. Book three did not disappoint.
In the final book of the trilogy, Desiree Jacobs faces her most difficult task yet. It started off simple--obtain an antique Mayan artifact and get it to the good guys. But the simple task gets complicated when espionage, people looting Mexican antiquities, corrupt government officials, and a violent gang, the Fraternidad de la Garra, find their way into the picture. How is Desi supposed to plan the perfect wedding to her fiancé, FBI agent Tony Lucano, with all this trouble?
With injuries, lots of questions, and someone close who ends up in the hospital, Desi faces a lot of "what-if" situations and must rely on more than her wits to survive. She needs to find the truth before anyone else, including herself, gets hurt.
If you've read book one and two, this book is a must. Ms. Nelson ties everything together in a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat package. Check it out.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Linda Wichman (Appleton, WI), September 08, 2008
Security consultant Desiree Jacobs is at it--again! What should have been a simple artifact retrieval lands her in the jungles of Mexico, where differentiating the good guys from drug traffickers is no easy job. Whether or not Desiree can outrun the nasty boys and keep her wedding date with FBI agent Tony Lucano proves to be Desiree's greatest adventure yet.
Book three of the To Catch A Thief series, Reluctant Smuggler by author Jill Elizabeth Nelson is another front runner! Decisively character driven, Reluctant Smuggler is packed with action and riveting suspense that makes for an intense page-turner. I applaud Jill Elizabeth Nelson's gift to transport readers to a world of romantic suspense and, to believe they are with Desiree whether inside a grand palace or the mysterious Mayan ruins.
Nelson has a natural gift of unobtrusively showing Desiree's and Tony's unwavering faith. Reluctant Smuggler will appeal to inspirational and secular readers alike.
And if you haven't read the first two books of this amazing series you must! Jill Elizabeth Nelson's, Reluctant Smuggler is my favorite of the Catch A Thief series. I'm chewing my nails in suspenseful anticipation for her next book!
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Barbara (Prescott Valley, AZ), March 21, 2008
I have found a new author! This is a greaat series. I have read all three and hope to see more from Jill Elizabeth Nelson.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Delia Latham (Bakersfield, CA), February 29, 2008
For security consultant Desiree Jacobs, the operation should have been almost too easy: Steal an ancient Mayan artifact from a Mexican museum and then return it, thus proving the organization’s security measures inadequate and acquiring the job for her own company.
Her goal is to get it done, then scoot on out of Mexico and home to Tony Lucano, her hunky FBI agent fiancé.
But powerful forces have other ideas, and Desi’s simple operation soon becomes a dangerous mission to recover stolen national artifacts. With key figures in the Mexican government playing both sides of the law, it’s impossible to tell friends from enemies and good guys from bad.
The heinous El Jaguar, trafficker of drugs and humans and looter of national antiquities, could be hidden behind the smiles of any number of government officials. As Desi digs closer to the truth, both she and Tony are targets for elimination, and are in danger even in their own homes on American soil.
Will either of them survive long enough to say “I do”?
A pulse-pounding, nail-biting tale of danger and intrigue…yet the author weaves in a romantic element strong enough to satisfy even the sappiest of readers. Jill Elizabeth Nelson paints a picture of evil perfectly contrasted by indomitable courage, honor, and unselfish love. Softly drawn and perfectly placed, elements of faith accent the vivid colors of this stunning masterpiece. Reluctant Smuggler is word art at its best!
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by MJ (Georgia, USA), February 25, 2008
Mmmm... Romantic Suspense... Starting with Reluctant Smuggler, book three of the To Catch a Thief Series makes me desperately want to go back and find the first two novels in the series as well as look forward to others. From college, an addiction that I had was to the Jennifer Garner television show Alias, with Sydney Bristow and all her stunts. This book with Desiree and all her actions was right up my alley! Desi is not a CIA agent like Bristow, but she is the owner of HJ Security and a master mind at getting out of tough spots. I was hooked from the beginning, and even though I chose a busy week to make this a read, I had to get it and get my fix everyday until I was through and could find out what would happen next. From breaking into a museum, to being mugged, and pushing for marriage to the hunky FBI man Tony, this girl never quits. There is action with twists and turns and as a reader it is real and riveting page turning thrills. As a person, who has adored FBI, CIA, historical Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, and the Librarian films... I never saw that coming, or that other thing, or those things... Really, there is so much that I could tell you and go on and on... But to enjoy all that this book has to offer, you really just have to read it yourself... I kid you not. Oh, and the best part about the entire thing! With all of the action and twists and turns and incredible plot ideas, Desi and Tony keep first and foremost their faith in God and through their actions of realistic people I can relate things to my calm and semi normal life to learn to be a better more Christ-like person day-by-day.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Linda Rondeau (Malone, New York), February 17, 2008
Desiree Jacobs wants to be married. And she has everything she could ask for in her fiancé, FBI Agent Tony Lucano. But so much seems to be in their way of setting a date. She becomes sidetracked when her assignment to “steal” an ancient Mayan artifact goes awry and turns into an archeological nightmare. The search for clues brings up old memories she wished she could forget.
When Tony becomes seriously injured during an investigation, his life as he knows it is threatened. While grateful to be alive after a near death experience, can he adapt to another career should he be unable to pass his FBI physical? Could he marry Desi if he is not the man she fell in love with?
Once again, Jill Nelson brings this couple through a series of challenges. The excitement is non stop from page one. As challenging as their missions, so is their faith tested throughout the journey.
Well written and well crafted, the story is sure to please.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kim Woodhouse (Colorado), February 05, 2008
Reluctant Smuggler is the third book in the To Catch a Thief Series by Nelson. I was hooked from the beginning of the series and haven't wanted to wait for each book to come out! Jill does an incredible job of shaping her characters - they are real (which would be hard for others to pull off, considering the hero and heroine aren't your average run-of-the-mill '9-5'ers, but Jill does it with great finesse). I found myself yelling at them, laughing at them and wanting to jump in the scene - pull off an impossible art heist and be the FBI agents to catch the bad guys. Full of mystery, intrigue, security capers, laughter, FBI, the love of art and don't forget the on-the-edge-of-your-seat, bite-your-fingernails romance -- you REALLY need to buy this book and the whole series.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Susan Sleeman (www.thesuspensezone.com), February 02, 2008
In Reluctant Smuggler, the third in Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s Romantic Suspense, To Catch A Thief Series, we once again find Desiree Jacobs of HJ Securities where she loves to be, up to her eyeballs in stealing a precious and valuable piece of art. This time we find her in Mexico City where she succeeds in stealing her target, the crown of Pakal, only to discover the piece she risked her life for is a forgery.
Though she is frustrated with this find and is almost one upped by her competitors, Greybeck and Sons’, Desi is tempted to chuck it all and return home to begin planning her wedding to FBI agent, Tony Lucano instead of uncovering the whereabouts of the missing crown of Pakal and protecting her reputation. But as we’ve learned in the past about Desi, she’s the kind of woman who will dig in and fight and she does just that.
Hired by Mexican Presidente Montoya to investigate the whereabouts of not only the missing crown, but other stolen art treasures as well, Desi is thrust into a the Mexican underworld, where she becomes a target of merciless killers. Enter, fiancé and FBI agent Tony Lucano who defies FBI policy and rushes to Mexico to rescue Desi. Oh, and did I mention, that Tony faces a challenge of his own in this book, a challenge that forces him to confront who he really is.
Once again, Nelson brings us an excellent fast-paced plot, with unexpected turns and thrills as we follow Desi in her stay in Mexico and into the black market and her time at home with Tony. The action keeps the story moving along and the information Nelson gives us about art antiquities is authentic and interesting. You can tell from the story that Nelson does her research, not only into the art field itself, but also into the process of securing these valuable treasures. All in all, she provides a very believable story and expertly weaves a spiritual thread of trusting God’s plans no matter what is thrown into the mix.
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