Blue Ink Reviews

“Threat Analysis is the compelling third installment in Stephen L. Bruneau's Dimase Augustin thriller series.

FBI contractor Augustin is tapped by the U.S. President to investigate a list of high-ranking government officials he suspects are implicated in a human trafficking plot. He believes they're being extorted by China and possibly Russia to force the passage of legislation intended to reunify Taiwan with China. With enough “yes” votes, the President will be unable to veto it, and the U.S. dollar's standing as the strongest in the world will fall to the Chinese yuan.Henry Chu's massage parlor traffics women to some of the most powerful players in Washington, and he's supplied 53 of these men’s identities to agents at the Chinese embassy, along with USB drives documenting their indiscretions. He's withheld one drive–arguably the most damning—with the intention of using it as leverage of his own. When the drive mistakenly falls into the wrong hands, Augustin learns of its existence, and follows a twisted trail of greed,depravity, and betrayal that cuts through the heart of American politics and leads directly to the White House’s door.

Bruneau wastes no time immersing readers in the despicable, complex worlds of human trafficking and political espionage in a remarkably easy-to-follow plot. Introspective political theory and questions of morality are often punctuated with moments of great tension and explosive violence, each expertly executed in pacing and tone.

Augustin is a commanding protagonist, although readers new to the series may struggle to connect with him without more backstory. Allusions to earlier cases suggest he's a skilled and discreet investigator, but details surrounding his profession and position are vague. Additionally, when characters are forced to make difficult decisions, readers may find their solutions uncharacteristically tidy for such a messy world.

Overall, however, Threat Analysis is a fascinating, thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride. Lovers of thegenre will be more than happy they hopped onboard.

Kirkus Reviews

In Bruneau’s third series entry, freelance investigator Dimase Augustin undertakes a highly classified operation to root out human traffickers among high-ranking Washington elites.

Former homicide detective-turned-private contractor Dimase has a new case—this time, straight from President of the United States Jonathan Peters himself. According to credible sources, a collection of high-ranking politicians and officials have been involved in human trafficking rings—and Chinese and/or Russian operatives may be using that knowledge to blackmail them. With Russian forces occupying Ukraine and a congressional vote pending on an amendment to theTaiwan Relations Act, which would forbid U.S. military intervention in the event of a Chinese invasion, such influence could have world-changing implications. President Peters asks Dimase to run a top-secret counterintelligence operation to find and expose those who are compromised, thus negating the leverage that foreign entities have on them. As Dimase investigates, he finds that some of the people involved are closer to the president than he’d anticipated. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.–based sex trafficker Henry Chu is thrown for a loop when his massage parlor business (a front) is burned down and his home ransacked and demolished. He’s right to worry, because he regularly records illicit encounters for officials at the Chinese embassy—and there’s one video that he’s been keeping a secret, even from his handlers.Bruneau’s latest series installment is a fast-paced and action-packed thriller with high-stakes conflicts, detailed depictions of detective work, and vivid descriptions of violent acts—as when one antagonist’s “head exploded in a misty cloud of blood and brain matter.” The plot is consistently intriguing, involving shady political dealings, espionage, and organized crime, and the characters, from the main players to the minor ones, are all well-drawn and compelling. Readers will delight in how both heroes and villains react to the rapid, sometimes-dizzying events that befall them. A smart, well-executed, and highly entertaining spy/detective thriller.