I’m back with a review of C.M. Sutter’s book, Blood Legacy. This is book 4 in the FBI Agent Jade Monrow Live or Die Series. The entire series has been amazing to read. It’s exciting and action-packed. And this one threw me for an emotional loop.
Agents Jade Monroe and Lorenzo DeLeon are sent out to several states where bodies of young men and women have been dumped. Each of them had a double O brand on their hips. But so many questions remain. Who did this? Where is the primary location where they were killed? Who are the victims? None of them has identification. But with the help of a medical examiner, they realize the starting place has to be Montana. So off to Montana our agents go!
We also learn about Cassie, a young woman who escapes with her sister. What are they running from? Bart, his minions, and a ranch where the kids do the work. Unfortunately, her sister was killed while running away. She survives several nights in the wilderness, only to be found by another ranchhand, Donny. But when Tara stumbles upon them, after needing to stop to pee, Donny takes off. But not before whacking Cassie in the head.
Our agents are still trying to put the pieces together when they hear about Cassie. They meet up with Tara and her husband, Byron, who tells them the whole story. They even go out to the scene to see where Cassie had been struck.
The story is coming together slowly, but Cassie is in the hospital in a coma. She’s not talking. And when Bart heard what happened, he sent guys to take out Tara and Byron. They got Byron. Tara survived, but she not only lost her husband, but her unborn baby, too. Donny, riding his motorcycle, also tries to take out Jade and Renz. He gets Renz in the shoulder but walks away.
Tara is transported to the same hospital as Cassie, who is starting to wake up. They end up sharing a room, which is so fitting. With Cassie’s help, they locate the ranch. But on their way to do more surveillance, they get boxed in by Bart and his men. Jade escaped, but Renz, the sheriff, and two deputies were taken to the cattle barn.
Thankfully, Jade was able to hide her phone and call 911. She gets them to orchestrate with the Montana FBI, who bring in the big guns. Jade makes her way to the cattle barn to free the guys just as the FBI arrives. Bart doesn’t want to go down easy, though. He shoots the sherrif and bullets start flying. In the end, Jade knocks Bart out with what she thought was a fire poker. It turned out to be the branding tool. They have everything they need to put Bart and his men away.
They get the full story from Donny, who’s still in custody. The ranch started with Bart’s grandfather, Otis. He was as mean as could be, but the next generation just got meaner. And they took kids from illegal adoption agencies, which is why none of the kids were on the missing list.
What got me, though, is the fact that Tara has lost her husband and baby and blamed herself. She was the reason they stopped. She was the reason she saw Donny and Cassie that day. I for sure teared up at that. But the end, when Tara decided to adopt Cassie, sent my eyes flooding. So emotional and happy. It was a great ending.