Next up in the FBI Agent Jade Monroe Live or Die Series by C.M. Sutter is Book 9: Blood Gamble. This time, we meet Brad in Atlantic City, looking to score big with other people’s winnings. He just been in Las Vegas racking up others money. Now in Atlantic City, he found Lynn, who just won $4 grand, took her to an alley, killed her, and stole her money. Law enforcement realizes they have an issue. All Jane Does. All with snapped necks. All tourists. And seemingly no motivation for the killing.
Taft brought Jade and Renz into the office to discuss that Las Vegas, as well as Reno, had the same types of murders: neck snaps. And, the Las Vegas murders had stopped. So he’s likely moved on. And we know where.
What else I liked about this one was how Taft, Renz, and Jade came up with a great working profile while discussing the case in the office. Usually, there are so many unknowns, and they’re not exactly sure – just spitballing. This time, they had enough information to figure a lot out. And with more research, they’ve found other areas he may have hit before: Lake Tahoe, NV.
So, Lake Tahoe, then Reno, then Las Vegas. And now Taft updates Jade and Renz that they’re flying to Atlantic City. He’s struck there, too.
While doing some surveillance, Brad actually sees them and follows them. He realizes they must be feds. And they’re there for him.
Renz and Jade decide the best course of action is to lure him in. They turn to Detective Patty Ginnis. They convince her to go undercover as a tourist to try to get him to make a move so they can take him down. The goal was for Larry to sit at a bar and talk too loudly about her winnings in the hope that the killer would bite. Officers plus Jade and Renz would be there to keep her safe. He never killed anyone out in the open. Jade worries, though. Patty had never done this before. But she made it through the first hour, then continued to another casino. Little did they know that Brad was following them the whole time. All they had to do was turn around.
Since the cops were moving in one direction, he went back to the ones they’d already been at and located women he could steal purses from. That became lucrative. Changing up his MO would throw law enforcement off his tracks.
After speaking with her sister Amber, Jade thinks she has a point. And changing his MO would allow him to continue stealing money without leaving a trail of bodies. Renz thinks it’s a great idea and walks the boardwalk looking for cameras. After getting the video, Patty starts reviewing the footage. She not only found him but saw that he saw Jade and Renz and appeared to be stalking their every move. No wonder they can’t find him.
Brad has decided to stay in after the brazen snatch and grab. But he admitted he missed the interaction with the women, and he strangled them. He grasped that power just as much as he wanted the money.
And now, with law enforcement after him, he decided to change up his appearance completely. He went shopping and came out looking like an octogenarian, complete with a cane. Which he used to bash a woman’s head into unconsciousness so he could steal her car and whatever money she had. Now, he had a different target in mind. Patty. He ambushes her at her house and snaps her neck.
Renz and Jade also located the diner Brad had been to and talked with the waitress, Tina. Renz gave her his card and said to contact him if Brad comes in. Miraculously, she calls. Jade and Renz walk in undercover as tourists separately. But Brad notices something is off and grabs Tina. Renz tells him to let go, but Brad thinks he has the upper hand. That is, until Jade shoots him and cuffs him.
And in the end, they got the bad guy, like Renz always said they would. What was his motive? Yes, he liked the nilling. But, he told the agents that he had killed his mother and grandmother years ago. He planned to burn down that house and build himself a new one on that same property. Greedy.