The Cipher

Nina Guerrera, Book 1

By: Isabella Maldonado

Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

To a cunning serial killer, she was the one that got away. Until now...

FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her 11 years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation...but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along.

His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar - an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “the Cipher” - but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

©2020 Isabella Maldonado (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The survivor of a vicious crime confronts her fears in a hunt for a serial killer…forensic analysis, violent action, and a tough heroine who stands up to the last man on earth she wants to see again.” --Kirkus Reviews

“[In] this riveting series launch from Maldonado…the frequent plot twists will keep readers guessing to the end, and Maldonado draws on her 22 years in law enforcement to add realism. Determined to overcome her painful past, the admirable Nina has enough depth to sustain a long-running series.” --Publishers Weekly

“A heart-pounding novel from page one, The Cipher checks all the boxes for a top-notch thriller: sharp plotting, big stakes, and characters - good and bad and everywhere in between - that are so richly drawn you’ll swear you’ve met them. I read this in one sitting and I guarantee you will too. Oh, another promise: You’ll absolutely love the Warrior Girl!” --Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

predictable but good

It's worth listening to but you're not surprised by anything in the book. Happy listening

Outstanding job!

I’m not always a fan of female narrators but this one is a keeper. The authors ability with the construction of plot helped. I throughly enjoyed the narrative.

Loved this book

Loved the narrator and the author. Being a LatinX women, loved that the main character could have been easily anyone I identify with. Love that I am reminded that strength has many forms and facets. Thank you

Scary & Suspenseful.

It’s a good listen but be warned there are rape & other distressing elements in this book. Lots of torture too. Not for the faint of heart. I could not stop listening even to the hard stuff somehow. Is there something wrong with me or what?

Enjoyable listen

First time for this author, but won't be my last. I found the premise and characters believable and compelling. The longer I listened the "whodunit" became less important to me than what would happen to the characters.

Very engaging story.

Great storyline! Could not put it down. I’m excited to download books 2 and 3 today!

Fantastic!

Fantastic read! Full of suspense- twists and turns.This is my first experience with this author. Looking forward to more!

My first Isabella Maldonado, not my last!

I will continue to seek more titles by this author. Every aspect of this novel was well done. BRAVO!

Lacks Emotional Depth

The issue is that it is like a narration. excluding some chapters there is a lack of emotional depth. The story is good but the narration was not as good but part of that was due to how it was written.

The Cipher

Ok I really should have written this right after I listened, but I got busy. But I will say that I love the dynamic with the whole team!

This book was a trip, I kind of saw where it was going but I wasn’t really expecting the unsub to be so creepy. But also, to be honest he needed to be unalive a lot quicker form all the bad he did.

I felt a lot for Nina with this one, it brings up a lot of her past, and lack thereof. I was rooting for her, then the ending happened, and it was all the feels.

So even though I was annoyed that she had to lie and be right up close with what could have been, I am glad she will have that after.

Again, the narration this time wasn’t as bad, maybe I got used to the monotone or the narrator got more comfortable because I just enjoyed the book.