‘The Trigger’ by L. J. Sellers

Published by Spellbinder Press,
23 August 2013.
ISBN: 978-0-984-00865-0 (PB)

Agent Jamie Dallas, FBI, is going undercover to investigate the disappearance of Emma Clayton and her baby, which some of her colleagues think could be a murder but may be linked to something much darker.  The catch, the crime has been committed in a very closed community, which it is suspected is working towards some apocalyptic “end of days” scenario, but no one knows how.

Infiltrating the compound run by Emma’s husband Randall and his brother Spencer is easy, Jamie even looks at bit like Spencer’s dying wife and this becomes her way in.  However, dogged by suspicion from Randall and also the sensitivities of dealing with Spencer and his attraction, Jamie finds the going tough and her troubles are added to when her FBI contact on the outside is reassigned to a murder case.

Whilst Jamie struggles and puts her life in danger, she finds the two brothers are planning a strike which could end civilisation as we know it.  The question is, what can she do about it, can she get a message out in time?

The Trigger creates a very scary and potentially real situation in which society can fall over a crisis set up by crashing the internet and sending world economies into free fall.  Having experienced the serious consequences of the banking crash and its ramifications, L.J. Sellers has created a plot which highlights some of the outcomes created by the recent recession.  Exploring the closed gate “compound” feel, and in some cases paranoia, found in some small American communities adds to the sense of claustrophobia throughout the story.

This is an interesting departure from Sellers’ more mainstream mysteries, starring Detective Jackson, but no less enjoyable, though uncomfortable in places as it skims the surface of some real issues and fears created by our reliance on technology and stability.
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Reviewer: Amanda Brown

L. J. Sellers writes the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/thriller series, a Readers Favourite award winner, as well as provocative standalone thrillers. Her novels have been highly praised by Mystery Scene, Crimespree, and RT Reviews, and her Jackson books are Kindle bestsellers as well as top-ranked novels. L.J., who resides in Eugene, Oregon where her novels are set, is also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, she enjoys standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. She’s also been known to jump out of airplanes.