In the deadly future after the second civil war, the United States is divided and dangerous…

Agent Heather Slade is a beautiful, well-crafted fake. A perfect lie. A highly-trained asset with no country, no memory, and no home. She spies for a secretive group of Revo agents from the democratic Free States and fights against the crushing power of the charismatic authoritarian leader who controls the militant Patriot regions. Risking her life, she infiltrates the top levels of the brutal government and lives deeply under cover with her enemies.

Heather’s current mission is to smuggle a package from under the President’s nose onto a highly guarded golden train and bring it to safety in the Free States. Her partner on the perilous journey is a handsome but inexperienced foreign agent with secrets of his own. Why is Miguel Robles so hauntingly familiar? He might hold the key to finding the family she no longer remembers—if they survive the mission.

Titles in The Infiltrix series include:  The Package ~ The Surveillance ~ The Intel ~ The Asset ~ The Extraction ~

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  The Package
Series:  The Infiltrix #1
Author:  Kimberley Troutte
Published:  July 25, 2024
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Package is the first story in The Infiltrix series, set in the future (perhaps far more near future than we’d like to believe).  Heather is an asset, an operative, a woman with no history, no country, and no memories… and it’s planned to be that way.  She carries out missions without question, for the most part, and this upcoming mission should be no different… but it will be.

There are books where I believe it’s difficult to review beyond the bare basics, not because they’re bad, but because to say too much is to tell a story that should be read individually for the full impact of the situation.  The Package is that kind of book.  If the cover description doesn’t draw you in, then I don’t think that my words will either.  I also believe that politics should not ever be part of a review; what we each believe should remain within ourselves in this venue.  Yet, I could not help but draw parallels between this fictional world and events happening right now.  I think that makes The Package a more intriguing story in so many ways.  This one ends on a cliffhanger (which I usually avoid like the plague), yet it works perfectly in this case.  The need to know what comes next is extremely high.

I enjoyed The Package by Kimberley Troutte.  It’s intense, often causing the reader to think of their own views on subjects.  There are twists that seem to come out of nowhere, turns that are totally unexpected, and a cast of characters that the reader isn’t always sure if they are friend or foe.  In this case, this story is one that the reader needs to experience firsthand.  I found it well-written, emotional, and intense, and it often left me with more questions than answers.  I’ll continue the series because The Package did its job; it has made me need to know what comes next.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)