Operation Power Play

Cutter's Code #5

by Justine Davis

Murder, corruption and a second chance at love…

When his dog, Cutter, leads Brett Dunbar to a dead body during a routine property check, it's the detective's hardest case yet. Because the victim was found on Sloan Burke's land. Now Brett must balance professionalism and attraction—something nearly impossible when the beautiful widow's determination puts her directly in the line of fire.

Seeing the heroic qualities she valued in her late husband reflected in Brett makes the protective wall around Sloan's heart crumble. Brett won't risk another relationship to his dangerous job, and Sloan refuses to have a future with a man constantly in danger. But solving the crime might be easier than letting each other go…

Genres: Harlequin, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Harlequin Romantic Suspense

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 30, 2015

About the author

Author biographies are supposed to give you all those statistics, books written, awards won, etc. and I will, I promise...but first let me tell you about this ornery little tomboy (back then, the boys had all the fun...) who was always the one to make up the stories the neighborhood kids would "play". For those who came of age in the computer game era, this is something that was done usually in the backyard, by any number of summer-bored children, with props where appropriate. (Did you know a 55 gallon drum tied to a picnic bench makes a very cool horse?) It wasn't until much later that this tomboy realized two things: A) not everyone made up stories in their heads all the time, and B) in real life, the boys that had already had all the fun now seemed to always be winning.

But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.

Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)

Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.

But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And now, the official stats:

Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN

Reviews

[Paula Legate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the series Cutter’s Code. For all you dog lovers out there, this is a series you’ll love. This book was just as good as the others. I have realized that Cutter has four missions in life, Eat, play ball, help people, and be a match maker. He has a nose for sniffing out people who need help and demanding his people make everything better. This book had suspense, action, and romance. Both Brett and Sloan are widows. They have not dated since their husband or wife died. I could feel the deep emotions in this book. They helped each other push past the grieve to find something wonderful. This was a sweet book that I really enjoyed.

[Billie Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took almost 80% of this book for anything to really happen. The blurb was very misleading for the overall story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth of the Cutter's Code books and it was just as good as the previous ones. Cutter is a very special dog who frequently seems to be far more than "just" a dog, and the people around him have learned to pay attention to him. Brett is a detective on the local police force and has had dealings with the Foxworth folks in previous books. He is one of the good guys who appreciates the good that Foxworth does. At the beginning of the book the dog Cutter is due to go home with another Foxworth employee while his people are on their honeymoon, but decides he'd rather go with Brett. Within a few days Cutter has engineered a meeting between Brett and Sloan Burke. Sloan and her aunt and uncle had been talking about a problem they were having with some paperwork filed with the county, and Brett, being a nice guy, offers to check into it for them. A simple inquiry leads to more and more questions about what is really going on.

Brett and Sloan are drawn together by more than just their investigation into the property question. There is an attraction between them that has surprised them, especially since both of them have issues that have prevented them from allowing anyone to get close to them. Brett had been married before, but his wife was murdered by a crook he had put away. Brett has sworn he would never put another woman in that kind of danger again. Sloan had been married to a military man who was killed in the line of duty when he and his men were ambushed. Sloan had promised herself that she wouldn't get involved with another man in a dangerous profession. Their intentions can't hold up against their attraction and the determined matchmaking of a certain dog.

I really loved both Brett and Sloan. Brett is one of those truly honorable men that seem to be so hard to find. I liked the way that he downplayed his part in checking into the paperwork problem, and yet was determined to find out what the problem really was. I also liked the deep respect he had for Sloan and what she has accomplished since and because of her husband's death. I liked his sensitivity to her feelings about their attraction, because he has the same thing going on himself. Sloan was an amazingly strong woman. When the powers that be tried to blame Jason for what had happened to he and his men, she took them all on, taking the fight all the way to the top. She then started her own group that was very much like Foxworth, that worked to help the men and women in uniform. I loved seeing the awe and respect that people like Rafe and others showed to her.

The relationship that developed between Brett and Sloan was wonderfully done. Though the attraction was immediate and strong, the relationship itself moved relatively slowly. I liked the way they took the time to get to know each other and were sensitive to each other's fears. Brett had a hard time letting go of the guilt he felt over his wife's death, especially as the danger got more intense. Sloan also had a hard time, and the mental conversations she has show just what she is going through. There is one spot at the end where she nearly lets her fears get the better of her. She does get past them, but once again Cutter comes through with the final "push" to get she and Brett together.

The suspense of the story was fantastic, though the blurb is slightly misleading. I loved seeing it build from what appears to be a simple paperwork snafu to something much bigger. The worry about what had happened to Brett's friend was very intense, and I liked seeing Brett have the confidence to go to Rafe at Foxworth when it looked like he would need more information than he could get for himself. The closer they got to finding the answers the more complicated things became. The final confrontation was very intense. I loved seeing how Cutter saved the day. The epilogue gave a great wrap up.

Cutter is the star of the show throughout the book. I always enjoy seeing the reactions of people new to Cutter and his capabilities. It's definitely a bit spooky at times to see how he reacts to various happenings. I can't wait to see who gets his attention next. I really hope that Rafe gets his story soon. I have a feeling it has something to do with the mysterious Charlie.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cutter, the psychic dog in the series, decides to stay with detective Brett Dunbar, while Foxworth Foundation founders, Quinn and Hayley, are on their honeymoon. Out on their daily morning run, he leads Brett to Sloan Burke, widow of an American hero, who had to crusade to uncover the coverup of what happened leading to her husband's death and had become a hero herself to the military world. Now she is taking care of her aunt and uncle who are having bureaucratic problems building a new home for her disabled uncle. They are both still in love with their dead spouses, but for the first time are attracted to each other, but both fear acting on this attraction. Cutter the dog know better. He also know that something is rotten in the county office and as Brett tried to help they find that that their is more going on than a misplaced file. The characters are all well developed and the action moves steadily to the surprising conclusion. My only question is who is the dog on the cover? Cutter is described as a black lab, with a black head and chocolate colored body, so why is there a german shepherd on the cover?

[Rebecca Delio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Cutter is an unbelievable dog and I do mean unbelievable, I had a dog named Trixie who I thought was very smart, she understood everything I told her but Cutter is way smarter.......

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great series..hope 2 read them all. This was definitely a slow read for me though and not plotted tightly enough, imho.

[Robyn Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Power Play is a romantic suspense by Justine Davis. It is a Cutter’s Code novel.
Brett Dunbar is a detective who is now a dogsitter. He is keeping Cutter for Quinton while he is on his honeymoon. They have indicated that Cutter is a different dog, more human that dog. He chose Brett to take care of him by sitting by his car and refusing to move until they brought his “things” to Brett. Then he calmly got in the car and waited. Now he leads Brett to Sloan Burks and her Aunt. Here, after a brief chat, Brett learns that the aunt’s application for a permit to build a house on her own property is denied. When Brett begins to look into why her application was denied, he began to hit brick walls. Why would someone not want to allow the aunt to build on her own property? Why would someone follow Sloan and Brett as they look into the situation? It goes much deeper than anyone knew. Can they fix this? What about their attraction to each other? What about his job?
I simply love the books involving Cutter. I would love to have a dog like him.

[Harlequin Books]

"Their {Brett and Sloan} romantic connection sizzles in the latest Cutter’s Code installment. The combination of an adorable dog, distinctive characters and steady pacing make this story one stellar read" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).

Miniseries: Cutter's Code

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!