Review: Fatal Decision by T.K. Wolf

The road to vengeance is paved with deadly choices in Fatal Decision by T.K. Wolf, the first novel in what promises to be an exhilarating series. Sam Harker, a masterful assassin with a score to settle, is putting her unmatched skill set to work, biting at the hand that lied to and created her, but she lands in dangerous waters after diving into the past, in this world-spanning, high-octane thriller.

Moving at the speed of the best Bond movies, this spy thriller has plenty of recognizable elements from the popular genre, from the single-minded revenge of the Jason Bourne series to the femme fatale attitude of Sydney Bristow in “Alias.” Despite attracting these comparisons, this book boasts an original plotline and seemingly endless narrative energy.

Sam is a dominating force from the opening pages, rarely relinquishing control of any situation, not to mention her emotions. Her brilliant, calculating, and manipulative mind is undeniably fun to read on the page and is also key to the story – the reason Sam is so determined to destroy the shadowy agency known as Delphi. It can be exhausting to read about Sam’s international exploits, as she narrowly pulls off these capers and killings, all with a plunging neckline and ice in her veins — a bit too good to be true, but entertainingly so.

When the stakes rise even higher and the man she loves is put in the crosshairs, Sam must break a promise to herself and return to a life she’d left behind. While this plot gambit isn’t unique, it’s always an excellent source of tension and opens up space for gripping character development. Sam and Jake’s connection ups the ante of this story, adding new dimensions, and Wolf paints their relationship in a believable way, not just as a convenient plot device.

While she may be a captivating main character, Sam also has moments as a cold and brutal killer, pushing the boundaries of what readers might find sympathetic – at least until the truth of her murderous habits are revealed. The deeply personal plot allows for an in-depth peek at this new heroine, one who will hopefully make many more appearances in this series. The inner turmoil she experiences is expressed viscerally, reminding readers that there is a heart and a suffering soul beneath Sam Harker’s implacable exterior.

From a technical perspective, the writing has some editing errors, including redundant narration between carry-over chapters, as well as some confusion in the physicality of scenes. With such vivid, action-driven writing, readers should be able to picture the events like a movie, but the choppy language doesn’t always paint the scene clearly. Also, as a male author writing a female protagonist, Wolf does make Sam a complex and multilayered figure, but many of the descriptions clearly come through a male lens. Her physicality is often reduced to stereotypical ideals of beauty or sex appeal, while her intelligence, wit, planning, and execution receive notably less attention.

As a whole, Fatal Decision is a bold start for this new series, armed with riveting characters, a healthy dose of conspiratorial commentary, and a confident storyteller at the helm.