I received an ARC (free copy) of this book in exchange for reviewing it.

That meant I gave it my best attempt at finishing it.

But after 3 weeks, and one car trip and 2 flights, it's still just 40% read. It's just... missing something.

There's a spark that Coulter normally has. This book lists a co-author. The plotting is just as tight as normal, but there's some spark of likeability that is missing.

I am finding myself just not CARING about these characters, and I don't want to spend the time to finish it.

So sad.

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This review is also posted on my blog at http://lbrychic.blogspot.com

I received an advance copy of this title through the First To Read program from Penguin. http://www.firsttoread.com

I'd give this more like 3.5 Stars but I'll round up on this occasion.

I've always loved Coulter's FBI Thriller Series. I enjoyed the mixing it up by adding a "Brit" to the FBI. While the book was on the long side, it was a quick read. It doesn't have quite the same feel as the other FBI thrillers by Coulter. Nicholas has his own special gifts. He is a spy turned Chief Inspector for the Scotland Yard. Michaela works for the New York Office of the FBI. Nicholas and Michaela "Mike" work well together trying to solve the death of dear friend, Elaine York, and the theft of the rare diamond from Queen Mother's Crown that was on loan to the MET. The search for the elusive FOX, an international thief, draws Nicholas and Mike closer together during all this exciting and intense action.

I will "read" this again when it is available as an audiobook. Can't wait to hear what Nicholas and Mike sound like. ( )

A jewel heist. A murder. And a Brit coming overseas to help in an FBI investigation when an old friend is caught up in the middle of it all. I’m a big fan of both JT Ellison and Catherine Coulter so I was eager to read a book they’d written together, especially since I’d been looking forward to another FBI thriller series. Lots of appearances by favorite series characters like Savich and Sherlock. This was a crazy game of cat and mouse as our jewel heist caper took us on a chase across the globe. Loved all the international locales and exciting scenes. Lots of twists and interesting characters in this one!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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Synopsis: 'Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Nicholas Drummond wasn't planning to visit New York. But when he gets word that the infamous Koh-I-Noor diamond has been stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he knows he has to go. Partly because his uncle is in charge of security for the "Jewel of the Lion" exhibit. And also because his ex-colleague Elaine York was murdered and there is some indication she might have been in on the theft.
When Drummond arrives in NYC, he's reluctantly given access to the site and is tasked with helping the FBI on the case. There's video of the museum, but a five-minute gap caused by a mysterious power shutdown leaves the team without many clues. The theft is kept secret from the public and the main museum curator Dr. Victoria Browning arranges for a fake stone to be used for the exhibit's opening. But minutes before the opening, Browning overpowers two agents and makes off with the stone from the exhibit. Drummond realizes that the initial theft report was a hoax. He suspects Browning is actually the famed art thief nicknamed The Fox . He believes she used a fake identity to get the museum job and she initially claimed the stone was stolen so she could gain access to the exhibit and steal it for real.
Browning disappears, but Drummond and FBI Special Agent Lacey Sherlock track her to Europe. They suspect Browning stole the stone for a specific buyer, but aren't sure why. It turns out the client is named Saleen Lanighan and is the direct descendant of the original Indian owner of the stone. He is ill and believes in a story that claims that reuniting the Koh-I-Noor with its sister stone will give the owner immense power. Drummond and Sherlock realize the planning for the theft had to have started before the NY exhibit was announced. That connect Browning to a woman who was dating a Royal Family guard before she mysteriously disappeared. They use that info to uncover her true identity and track her to her meeting place in Paris.
Drummond and Sherlock also uncover the identity of Saleen and realize he plans to betray Browning and eventually kill her. They convince The Fox that she is going to be doublecrossed and she promises to help them stop Saleen and recover the stone. She also tells them that she won't give up any of her clients, but agrees to provide info on the many thefts she committed for her mentor, who has joined Saleen and double crossed her. The three of them are able to recover the diamond, but in the battle a fire breaks out, eventually trapping and killing Saleen and Browning's mentor. It also appears Browning died in the same fire.
Weeks later the stone is back where it belongs, and Drummond has been offered a job with the FBI. He receives a package containing a deposition listing the whereabouts of hundreds of missing pieces of art and he realizes it's from Browning and she's survived. It turns out that she is back in London, watching the only man that she has ever loved complete his daily guard duty. She thinks today might be the day when she says hello and asks for his forgiveness.'
Review: This is a tightly written mystery/thriller/adventure with very likeable characters. Can't wait to read the next book in the series. ( )

Great start to a new series ( )