Forgive Me: A Xanadu Marx Thriller

Joshua Corin

Jul 2016 · Xanadu Marx Book 2 · Sold by Alibi

About this ebook

Hailed by Douglas Preston as “a master storyteller,” Joshua Corin returns with another white-knuckle thriller featuring ex-FBI agent Xanadu Marx. And this time, payback comes with a price tag.
 
They call themselves the Serendipity Group, a charitable organization that helps victims take revenge on those who’ve wronged them. But when the group’s hit list leaks, the hunters become the hunted—and two innocents are caught in the crossfire.
 
A pair of newlyweds are waylaid in Atlanta after a bad storm disrupts their flight to Paris. They are stuck in a dingy airport hotel room—until a stranger insists the happy couple take his lavish suite. But the man’s kindness is a ruse: They are being used as bait, and soon find themselves prisoners of a maniac with a hacksaw—all because of a list of thirteen people marked for execution.
 
Ex-FBI agent Xanadu Marx doesn’t know how her name ended up on the list, but she’ll be toast if she doesn’t take herself off it. Now a civilian on parole after a career-killing mistake, Xanadu Marx supposedly has three days to live, and the question isn’t whether she has an enemy gunning for her, it’s which one. But when two wide-eyed newlyweds may have become collateral damage, Xana realizes that there are some sins that can’t be forgiven.
 
Don’t miss any of Joshua Corin’s electrifying Xanadu Marx thrillers:
COST OF LIFE • FORGIVE ME • AMERICAN LIES

Ratings and reviews

Paybacks are hell! And Xanadu is finding that out the hard way. Xanadu spent 30 years in the FBI. At one time she was one of the best … but then she picked up a bottle and never put it down. Her drinking cost her everything, especially the job that she loved. Now ‘retired’, she spends her days with her lover, Em, and going to meetings. She’s been sober almost a year. A pair of young newlyweds stumbles across something called the Serendipity Group. This is an organization that helps victims take revenge on those who have wronged them in some way. The group’s hit list lands in the newlyweds’ hands. Bottom of the list reveals Xanadu’s name. Xanadu has a long, long list of people that may have a grudge against her. But who? And Why? To be honest, I did not like the character of Xanadu. She comes across as arrogant, which surprised me considering where she is in her life and all the mistakes that she has made. When the local police step in, she treats them as though they are bumbling fools and she knows everything. The book started off with a bang … I really liked the newlyweds, who had no idea of what was going on. They became a pivotal point of importance. It seemed to bog down a bit in the middle … but then picked up again. The ending was a huge surprise and just blew me away. Because of that ending, I upgraded my review rating. Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group – Alibi / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I loved this book. This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. He is an exceptional storyteller and has crafted a tightly woven novel that kept me turning pages just as quickly as possible. A young newlywed couple are on their way to France for their honeymoon when they end up waylaid in Atlanta due to a flight delay. A stranger overs them a room upgrade to his suite. They happily accept, but nothing is free and the room upgrade comes at a cost that they never could have anticipated. Then add in Xana is a disgraced former FBI agent that was terminated after driving drunk into a house. She is nearing one year of sobriety, but then her name turns up on a hit list. Xana could be described as user hostile, so the list of people she's hurt is long. One of them is out to get her, but which one? All they have in common is the Serendipity Group - an organization that none of them had heard of before, but that will change all of their lives. If you enjoy thrillers, you will love this book. I strongly recommend it to fans of the genre. I have added the author to my must read authors' list.

About the author

Joshua Corin is the author of Cost of Life, Nuclear Winter Wonderland, While Galileo Preys, and Before Cain Strikes. He holds an M.A. in English and an M.A. in theater from Binghamton University, and currently teaches college in Atlanta, Georgia.