Chicago, Illinois and Cuiabá, Brazil - Present Day

As the head of a Chicago crime syndicate, Nicholas Charboneau is not usually taken by surprise. But, when visiting Brazil with his bodyguard and lover, Jasmine Lee, they are surprised by armed men breaking into their hotel room. After a scuffle during which she is knocked out, Jasmine awakens to find an envelope with ransom instructions. Though she goes to the consulate and the police, Jasmine has every intention of finding Nicholas herself -- and she has the perfect partner in mind.

For days, Christian Delacorte has been struggling with an anxious feeling, knowing that something big is going to happen. Jasmine Lee returning to collect her favor turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. A year ago, Jasmine helped Christian to save the life of his love, Raven Mackenzie. Now, with the police unwilling to help her, and Nicholas’s syndicate suspicious of Jasmine’s involvement in the kidnapping, she has only Christian to turn to. Not only because of the favor he owes her, but also because -- previously unknown to Christian -- Nicholas is his biological father.

Christian has no feelings beyond curiosity about his father, and he doesn’t trust half of what Jasmine tells him. Though his relationship with Raven is suddenly on shaky ground, Christian knows he will be going to Brazil. It doesn’t take long after his arrival for Christian to realize that this mission will be more dangerous than he expected, and that Jasmine isn’t the only one who can’t be trusted.

With each question asked and answered, Christian gets only more questions, making NO ONE LIVES FOREVER an intriguing mystery. In Ms. Dane’s previous novel (NO ONE LEFT TO TELL), Christian’s world is turned upside down by the revelations about his past. He is slowly coming to accept the changes in his life when Jasmine throws him a curve with the identity of his biological father. As a man who has always stayed on the right side of the law, even while working in the legitimate side of a crime family, finding out that his father is the leader of another crime syndicate may be a little too much to bear. While Raven’s love and acceptance have helped him through so much already, he can’t turn to her now, because he has no intention of risking her life by including her in his mission.

The non-stop action and many twists are interwoven with Christian’s struggle to accept this new information about his past, and with Jasmine’s guilt and fear over losing Nicholas. The author does a wonderful job of showcasing the beauty of Brazil and the contrasting criminal activity that runs rampant through the city of Cuiabá. An engaging tale, don’t miss NO ONE LIVES FOREVER.

Jennifer Bishop