Author Mike Wells weaves an interesting tale of mystery and suspense, with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The characters are finely drawn with a narrative that captivates and surprises. For me, the writing style was both poetic and nostalgic making for a story as dark and brooding as its many settings. The author paints a dark and mysterious thriller in a very vivid and convincing way. It’s a fast-paced story that will keep you engaged from the first page to the last.The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Born in the worst suburb in Pittsburgh, Elaine Brogan is bright, beautiful and bold. When her father is falsely arrested for passing counterfeit $100 bills, Elaine vows to become a Secret Service agent and track down the man responsible. After barely surviving the arduous Secret Service Training Academy in Laurel, Maryland, she is transferred to bleak and blustery Great Falls, Montana. But things do not go as planned, and Elaine soon finds herself betrayed and thrown into an adventure that takes her halfway around the world, from dark and mysterious Sofia, Bulgaria, to Moscow Russia, and finally, to Milan, Italy. In the end, will Elaine find the love and happiness she truly seeks…or will she turn to a life of obscene wealth, power and corruption?’Now, if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my second time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed yet again.Lust, Money & Murder (Books 1, 2 & 3) had every element a good story should have. An intriguing plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There is plenty intrigue in this page turner that will take the reader on a spellbinding journey.I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book's mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novels in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class mystery, thriller and suspense with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of mystery, thriller and suspense will want it!I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading more from Mike Wells in the future. I would definitely recommend these books. Five stars from me.