Sundown

September 12, 2022
The busy final entry in Warren’s Sky King Ranch trilogy (after Sunburst) follows a doctor and former special operative as they work to prevent a biological attack. Colt Kingston, a former Delta Force soldier, doubts infectious disease expert Tae Price’s incredible account of surviving abduction by the Russian mafia after the plane they were in crashed in the Alaskan wilderness close to Sky King Ranch, where Colt lives with his two brothers. Colt starts to trust her after they trek to the wreckage, where Tae reveals that she had been working on a vaccine for a rare but lethal strain of smallpox that may have been weaponized by the Russian mafia. Tae’s work put a target on her back, and when Colt and Tae return to the ranch they find it under siege by Russian thugs. Special operatives step in to end the attack and help Tae set up a lab in Florida where she must finish the vaccine and learn to trust God while the Kingston brothers race to stop a viral attack on Disney World. This picks up many threads from previous entries, and while series fans will enjoy the satisfying payoffs, they add up to an overstuffed conclusion that strains under the weight of its many moving parts. Readers will enjoy the action, though they may get lost in the din.

Starred review from October 15, 2022
Former soldier and forever bad boy Colt Kingston does not walk into danger; he runs. So when a Russian mob brings destruction to his Alaskan family's doorstep, Colt knows he is the man for the job. But Tae Price complicates Colt's mission, not least by her unexpected takeover of Colt's reckless heart. After her escape from an attempted abduction reveals that her work in vaccine development is to blame for the attacks, a plot more lethal than they imagined unfolds. A deadly virus has been weaponized, and Tae's vaccine is the only obstacle to the enemy's massive payday. Warren concludes her epic Sky King Ranch series (Sunrise, 2022; Sunburst, 2022) with an electrifying finale involving medical science, national security, and sizzling romance. The last of the Kingston brothers finally gets his moment in the spotlight, and rebel heartthrob Colt does not disappoint, diving headfirst into all manner of trouble and heroism. The impact of past trauma on characters' present dilemmas of trust, isolation, and inner peace contrasts with the stringency of biological terrorism. Full of high-octane action, breathtaking suspense, and intensely acute drama of emotional and spiritual healing, Sundown is a powerhouse ending to a series that truly has it all.

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