Series Week: Vanessa Michael Munroe Series

Vanessa “Michael” Munroe deals in information—expensive information—working for corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise.  A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago. It’s not her usual line of work, but she can’t resist the challenge. Pulled deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her, she must come face-to-face with the past that she’s tried for so long to forget.

Thrillers are a dime a dozen lately it seems.  Most of them are fairly decent, but hold that label of thriller somewhat loosely.  The Informationist has "A Thriller" on the cover somewhat modestly when it should be blazing across the cover.   This book deserves it!  Michael Munroe makes Lisbeth Salander look like Jan Brady.  She is beyond cool.  She is definitely one of my new favorite book characters.

In The Informationist we meet Michael Munroe and learn about her background.  She was born to missionary parents in Africa.  When they paid more attention to their work than her, she fell in with the wrong crowds and learned the skills that would later make her an expert in obtaining information.  Naturally gifted with the ability to learn languages, she becomes a major asset to governments and corporations desperate to get "on the ground" intel. 

This book has Michael returning to the area of Africa in which she was raised, along with a unwanted handler provided by her employer.  Together they are searching for a girl that has been missing for 4 years.  The book took some major twists and turns and ended in a shocking way.

After that book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Innocent.  This book actually intrigued me a bit more.  I had read that Taylor Stevens was raised in the Children of God cult.  I imagine that must give her an more interesting perspective on life than most people.  The Innocent is about rescuing a child from a similar type cult. 

I thought The Innocent was just as good.  I blew through it because I couldn't put it down.  Michael is just as badass in this book as she was in the first.

This is a series I'm really glad I started reading and I can't wait to read the next book.  The characters are great.  I've been really enjoying the unique settings.  I haven't found any information about the next book, but I'll be in line ready to read it when it comes out!