An amazing woman writing about an extraordinary woman. Despite the brutality I could not stop reading. ( )

This book was action-filled and fast moving. I liked a lot about it, but couldn't quite accept that FBI agent Nina Guerrera was assigned (allowed?) to work on a case involving the man who kidnapped and tortured her in the past, especially considering the gruesome details of her experience. I enjoyed the teamwork, planning and execution that she and her fellow agents engaged in during their pursuit of "The Cipher." But there were too many graphic scenes and descriptions of torture that got in the way for me. ( )

Best Kindle First book I’ve read, too bad it’ll be a year until the second one is published ☹️ ( )

Nina Guerrera grew up in foster care after being found in a trash bin as an infant. She was kidnapped by a depraved man when she was sixteen and raped and branded by him. However, she managed to get away. To get out of the system, she has herself declared an emancipated minor and changes her last name from Esperanza to Guerrera - from hope to warrior.

Eleven years later, she's employed by the FBI and comes to her rapist's attention again when she fights off a new attacker while jogging in the park and has the fight show up on social media. That alerts her attacker to her whereabouts, and he begins a campaign of riddles and social media posts to attract her attention. He also commits a series of grisly murders which have the FBI traveling around the country trying to solve his clues and stop him from his killing streak.

On Nina's team is one of the best mindhunters the Bureau has available. He and Nina have had a run-in in the past when he tried to convince the Bureau not to hire her because of the past trauma in her life. Now they need to find a way to work together if they are to find this killer and stop him.

This was an action-packed and fast-paced story. I loved getting to know Nina and learn about her life. Roxanne Hernandez did an excellent job with the voices and with the pacing of the story too. ( )

3.25 Stars. Loving strong female lead characters in my crime fiction, Isabella Maldonado’s The Cipher had been on my wishlist since its release. And, when I found out Jennifer Lopez had signed up to both star and produce this novel’s TV adaptation, it got bumped up the reading pile.

Maldonado has conferred on Nina Guerrera one of the more horrific childhoods you will find amongst fictional series leads. The depiction of her past physical and emotional trauma is raw, graphic, and likely triggering for some readers. This personal background, layered on top of inherent racial bias in US law enforcement, sets the platform for her ‘survivor-underdog’ storyline. And, some great one-liners that will play exceptionally well on screen.

The Cipher is also one of the most viscerally detestable unsubs I have come across in fiction. Perhaps this drawing of characters at the extremities of plausibility fostered my need to suspend belief in several instances. Or, the likeable but relatively thinly characterised small ensemble cast, Nina’s investigative colleagues. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2022/08/the-cipher-isabella-maldonado-revie... ( )