Synopsis from Goodreads:
On-the-run ex-agent Peri Reed returns bigger and bolder than ever in this second highly-anticipated installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's new suspense trilogy, The Peri Reed Chronicles. Peri Reed’s job eats her mind, but for a special task agent in hiding, forgetting the past can be a blessing. Betrayed by the man she thought she loved and the agency who turned her into the very thing she fought against, Peri abandoned the wealth and privilege of Opti for anonymity riddled with memory gaps and self-doubt. But when a highly addictive drug promises to end her dependency on those who’d use her as a tool for their own success, she must choose to remain broken and vulnerable, or return to the above-the-law power and prestige she once left: strong but without will—for whoever holds her next fix, will hold her loyalty. Yet even now as then, a love based on lies of omission might still save her life.
Review:
When we last left Peri, she had finished bringing down Opti (her corrupt employer) and was on the run and in hiding until the radioactive tracker wore off that Bill (her ex-handler) had put in her. Peri is trying to find peace and solitude while running a coffee shop but, try as she might, she cannot hide for long. Pulled back into the "game" against her will, Peri is bound and determined to be independent. What that is going to cost her, though, is beyond her comprehension.
One mistake leaves Peri addicted to Evocane and Silas scrambling around for a cure. Evocane is the new drug that allows the Drafter (Peri) to be Anchorless. The problem? Evocane is highly addictive and you HAVE to shoot up every 24 hours or go into serious withdraws - and possibly die. Life is never simple for Peri and while fighting the bad guys she winds up partnering with one in order to save her own skin.
The Operator is definitely a roller-coaster ride. There is one character that stood out to me in this novel and, surprisingly, it wasn't Peri. Yes, she was kick-ass as usual but the main character I kept being drawn to was Jack. Is he good or bad? Is he dead or alive? Does he love Peri or don't he? Even though I've finished this novel and know what happens, I'm still trying to figure Jack out. I so want him to be good but I am loving him as bad - I have a thing for bad boys, if you couldn't tell. I keep picturing Josh Holloway playing Jack. If you don't know who Josh Holloway is, he is the guy that played Sawyer in the television series Lost. Sexy, right? That is the exact image of Jack that I have in my head. Josh would pull him off PERFECTLY if this were to ever go to film.
There's one more novel in this trilogy and I know what I want to happen. There are still quite a few issues that need to be resolved. I haven't looked to see when the third novel is being released but I hope it's soon. I have to know what happens.
4 out of 5 stars
*A paperback copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Pocket Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), in exchange for an honest review.