Review of Dangerous Games: A Novel, by Danielle Steel (ISBN:978-1101883884)

SYNOPSIS

Television correspondent Alix Phillips dodges bullets and breaks rules to bring the most important news to the world—from riots in America to protests on the streets of Tehran. She is the fragile, reclusive widow of America’s most admired senator, who had been destined for the presidency before an assassin’s bullet felled him. Since then, she has found emotional support in dangerous games. 

REVIEW

I had to check the title on the spine several times while reading it, to ensure that it was really intended to be fiction. It was so realistic, I thought that I was reading an encyclopedia! Alix Phillips, the brave protagonist who’s parents did not bother to get an ultrasound before naming her, is full of verve and vinegar throughout her hunt for thrills. 

As if dodging bullets in a burka while reporting from the streets of Iran was not dangerous enough, Alix spends the majority of the book trying to find something more frightening, more thrilling, and more uniquely dangerous than anyone else on YouTube. She succeeds stupendously.

I won’t give away any of the surprising parts of the book, but let’s just say that she finds a way to engage in underwater hang-gliding of a sort, using a rocket powered backpack. I won’t say where she did this, as that would spoil all of the fun.

Danielle Steel hasn’t yet written a book without romance, and this book is no exception. Alix is in love with her new puppy, a couple of cute tree frogs, and her beau, the reclusive and shy librarian Brett Merkle. Together, they light up the pages with romantic tension amid the reading of classic medieval poetry. You have to read it to believe it.

The end is the most fascinating part of the book. I couldn’t stop staring at the last page of the book.   

CONCLUSIONS

I’m giving the book 5 stars out of 5. It was perhaps the most profound and engaging book that I’ve ever read!

Until next time,

Anne Stallings, for Novel Premise Book Reviews