Review: The Geneva Decision by Seeley James

This is the first book in the Pia Sabel Series by Seeley James.  I first came across this book via some book blogs and saw it again on Goodreads.  So when I ran across it on Netgallery, it was slightly familiar to me and I had read a review or two.  The cover had intrigued me.  I mean a chick with a gun and a title with Geneva in it.  My brain instantly lit up with action, adventure, whoo hoo!  And this book doesn't disappoint.

The story opens in Geneva, Switzerland with Pia Sabel, ex Olympian soccer player and brand spanking new head of her adoptive father's security company Sable Securities, at an outdoor evening party.  Pia is there to meet a perspective client and do a little schmoozing.  Unfortunately, what she sees is an assassin moving through the crowd.  You may wonder how an ex Olympian soccer player would recognize an assassin?  Well, when she was five years old, her parents were assassinated basically right in front of her.  She was then almost immediately adopted and put under round the clock security by ex secret service agents for many, many years.  She has basically lived her entire life surrounded by the best security agents in the world and has been tought what to look for.  When the assassin's target turns out to be her prospective client, Pia wastes no time in using her soccer skills and training to take him down.  Unfortunately, he escapes while in police custody.  When the assassin takes out 4 more bankers and then targets Pia, that same night, she decides that she is taking this case, one way or another.  No matter how much her father wants her to come home and sit in a corner office.

Pia is a contradiction in many ways.  She has all the basic knowledge of a specialized security guard, but with none of the in the field training.  She has been taught hand to hand combat and weapons, but never used them in a practical application.  She has good instincts, but without the understanding of how to apply them. Watching Pia learn the difference between knowledge and application was fun and often had some unexpected comedic moments.  But she is more than willing to admit she needs to learn more and put in the work needed to get better.  One thing you can say about Pia, she is no shrinking violet.

I really enjoyed this book.  It wasn't non-stop action, but there was enough fight scenes and foot chases and shoot outs to make any reading adrenaline junkie happy. There are bits and pieces and hints dropped about Pia's background, that keep a nice mystery arc going and I really hope that we can learn more in the next book.  Just an over great book. I am going with 4 stars on Goodreads. It was nice seeing a female take the lead in this Suspenseful Thrilling Mystery.

Pia Sabel plays to win.

Until a few weeks ago, she was an international soccer star. But now she's taken the helm of her billionaire father's private security company, and she s playing against a whole new set of opponents: the kind who shoot to kill.

On her first day on the job, Pia's client is assassinated in front of her. There's no time for training, so Pia must trust her instincts and athletic skills to unravel the complicated maze of money laundering and piracy that will take her from Swiss mansions to the jungles of Cameroon.

Her battle-hardened employees suspect she's just a spoiled rich girl with a mean corner kick. But Pia's got some unexpected moves of her own. Will they be enough to bring her team through its mission?