Incognito: Drop Dead

The fourth book in Karen Wiesner’s Incognito series, DEAD DROP, is about secret government agencies, spies, the greater good and the trickery that goes along with it.

Roan and Perry were just starting their lives together when he was recruited against his will by a secret government agency that left everyone believing he had died; everyone except for Perry. For twenty-five long years, Perry has continued to search for him and the secret agency that tried to recruit him. Now, the son Roan never knew he had with Perry has been approached by the same agency and Perry will do whatever she has to do to ensure that their son doesn’t end up “dead” like his father. As an FBI agent, Perry is in the perfect position to covertly follow her son’s recruiter and her first lead in years to find her “long dead” lover, the one man who might be able to save their son from the same fate his father was forced to accept.

Original this book is not. Perhaps if this reader hadn’t been a huge fan of the “La Femme Nikita” television series, Karen Wiesner’s DEAD DROP would have been enjoyed more. Unfortunately, this reader has in her movie library the entire series on DVD. Though Wiesner changed the name of the secret agency and the operatives, there are so many similarities that the story seems almost stolen. Like Nikita, Roan was given no choice in his recruitment and was made to appear dead to anyone who knew him. And like Nikita, Roan is forced to become the best operative possible in order to stay alive. Also like the Nikita series, operatives are not allowed personal relationships and the only way out is through death. The comparisons are never ending.

This reader thoroughly enjoyed the television series. Wiesner turning the series into a book and calling it her own just doesn’t sit right with this reviewer. There were simply too many similarities. Wiesner is a very successful author with many books to her credit. DEAD DROP is not likely to be one of them.

Fans of suspense and espionage that have no knowledge of the series that this book appears to be based on will probably enjoy Karen Wiesner’s DROP DEAD immensely. For those that have seen the series – skip the book. The television series is better.

July 2007