Another great book by JP O'Donnell!! I loved this one as much as Fatal Gamble, maybe even more! An easy read, but not so easy as to sacrifice the story line. Great action, and not so unbelievable story. Good book for those that love a mystery and suspense in a great little package. I love this author and can't wait to see what he comes up with next. ( )

I received a copy directly thru the author and I have absolutely enjoyed reading it. This book is the follow-up to Fatal Gamble and the author does not take anything away from the main character Gallagher. Gallagher is hired by Jeanne Campbell, the victim’s twin sister to find out what really happened to her. The victim is Jennifer Clark whose husband is Bill Clark who works for the CIA. As Gallagher uncovers more and more information on the victim and the husband, his own life becomes at risk. This one having more twists and turns than in the first. It will surely keep you on your toes.
So often something is lost on a follow-up book, not the case here. The only problem I had with the book is that I wanted more; it is a very short read. I like the author’s style and would recommend this book to anyone who likes a great political action thriller. ( )

JP O'Donnell has succeeded in not only holding his reader's attention but in providing a real page turner with a good storyline. His second book in this series, "Deadly Codes" is much better than his first "Fatal Gamble". This second book is filled with interesting details such as his explanation of how to set up and wire a car bomb. Also, in this book the author develops Gallagher as a person with conflicts, longings and expectations. He is no longer a one dimensional figure as he was in "Fatal Gamble". O'Donnell even moves along the relationship his main character, Gallagher has with wife Kate in an unusual way.

Gallagher, a private detective who can't seem to give up the high he gets from living his life on the edge is hired to investigate the death of Jennifer Clark who is killed in a car bombing in her own driveway. Gallagher has promised his wife Kate he will give up being a private detective because she is tired of being scared of his being killed by his enemies. In "Fatal Gamble", both are almost murdered and this leads Kate to question whether she can continue in this marriage. Gallagher is addicted to the burst of adrenaline he gets from solving cases, especially the ones concerning missing persons. In this book, Gallagher's life is turned upside down and the fate of his marriage is determined.

Kudos to author O'Donnell for writing a creative story and crafting his writing in an artful way which is not often the case for writers of suspense novels. I am looking forward to his next novel about Gallagher and i hope O'Donnell continues to stretch the limits of his own creativity while he is writing this series. I highly recommend you take the time to read "Deadly Codes". It is a fast, enjoyable read. ( )

I believe that every novel has at least three elements: (i) emotional focus; (ii) background to explore the emotion; and (iii) a genre in which to tell the story.

JP O’Donnell has written a masterful mystery. His protagonist is the private detective Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr. of Boston. Our hero has resigned from his dangerous world at the behest of his new wife, Kate, who has been shaken by an attack from underworld thugs seeking to silence her husband with her in their sights.

In the midst of his sincere efforts to wrap-up his sleuth work, a woman is immolated in a firey explosion of her own husband’s car that she had seemingly entered innocently to move it out of the way of her own car. The husband is a senior NSA counter-intelligence operative. The victim’s twin-sister in two minutes of conversation entices Gallagher with just enough information about mystery and infidelity to whet his appetite to discover the truth about her sister’s demise.

The sleuth then proceeds in a page-turning adventure to do battle with a beautiful heroine, government agencies, his old nemesis in the mafia, thugs, rascals, double and triple agents, Noth Korean hunger for secret codes, a miscreant Catholic priest wanting cash for the till, and a couple of threesomes, none of whom have anything positive for Gallagher. What will Kate think of all this after he has promised a risk-free life? Fortunately, he is also introduced to Bernadette, adding one more adorable twist to a beautifully told and composed story.

Deadly Codes is a fine mystery. You will enjoy every page. We can place our friend Gallagher into the pantheon of protagonists. I am sure we have not heard the last of him. Like James Bond, Gallagher may intend to take the high road and lead a life of domestic tranquility, but his nature is to the contrary. He needs someone to love him for what he is not what he could be.

So, back to those three elements. The emotion here could be “can I have it all,” told in the background of Washington and Boston, and in the genre of a mystery.

When you are done, you will be looking for Gallagher’s next adventure. I think he can have it all, perhaps with Kate, or Bernadette, or . . . well, we’ll see. ( )