In D.R. Berlin’s The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango, Sophie’s world is turned upside down after a trauma patient named McCaffrey unexpectedly grabs her and whispers a cryptic message in her ear. When McCaffrey dies shortly after Sophie leaves his room, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder and is suspended from her position. Meanwhile, Kai Lovac has spent three years off the grid, haunted by a past connected to both McCaffrey and Sophie’s family. McCaffrey died protecting a file powerful enough to expose the mysterious Third Estate, an organization shrouded in secrecy and influence. Years earlier, Lovac pursued Sophie’s father through the forest, and before he died, Sophie’s father urged her to find the Third Estate and trust no one. Now, Lovac needs Sophie’s help because she has the key to deciphering a message he has received. Sophie and Lovac are forced to confront their shared past.

The Third Estate by D.R. Berlin is an excellent read. The story is fast-paced but gives enough time to process everything before moving on. The events were action-packed and descriptive. It left nothing to the imagination. It was easy to become part of Sophie and Lovac's world. I could not put the book down because I did not know what would happen next. With all the unexpected twists and turns, I could never predict what would come next. The characters were realistic and strong. Sophie and Lovac made a great team, and their partnership strengthened throughout the story. The book was brilliantly written and had all the components to be a great success. I enjoyed this book, and it was much more than I expected.

The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin opens with members of the Assassins Guild gathering to say goodbye to Ryan Manning at a funeral. Manning is a financed operative killed for discovering secrets about a clandestine organization that manipulates governments; it is called the Third Estate. Tactical specialists Celia Thorne and Owen Vale arrive, and there are signs of growing conflict, but the catalyst is a skilled assassin who has been off-grid for three years: Kai Lovac. His name is on the kill list, and alongside him is another name: Sophie Allard, an intelligent medical student and former fighter pilot, who is wrongly handed a cryptic message about “Dossier 1627” by a dying patient. Now Sophie is framed for murder and must fight to clear her name while Lovac seeks retribution and truth.

Devil’s Tango is a compelling thriller that examines a powerful power structure that treats human beings as expendable assets. The novel features military intelligence and buried research, and it delivers pulse-pounding action. D.R. Berlin’s propulsive thriller shines through its atmospheric tension and skilled characterization. The characters are intelligent, and Lovac will arrest the interest of many readers as a disciplined predator with lethal precision and bound by a strict personal code. Sophie can be desperate sometimes, but she is thoughtful and has strong medical ethics. Berlin crafts a story that progresses in short, cinematic chapters, and a noir atmosphere that seeps into every interaction. This author maintains suspense through concealed files, cryptic codes, and shifting balances, delivering a story that is filled with explosive action.

Captain Sophie Allard, a military medical student at Palmer Regional Medical Center, is being chased by assassins who want to know what McCaffery, a patient with gunshot wounds, whispered to her while she and the medical team were trying to save his life. In The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin, Allard is not only being chased by assassins, but she is also accused of tampering with an intravenous drip while visiting Master Sergeant Taylor in his hospital room, effectively killing him. She is now suspended pending an official investigation. Kai Lovac, an assassin, is also being hunted. As a former member of The Guild Assassins, he and Allard crossed paths before, when her father was chased by Lovac, fell off a cliff, and died. Allard was left alive, and now it appears Lovac is back in her life. Is he here to kill her? What is his connection to the death of Master Sergeant Taylor? Allard is determined to find out.

The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin is a fast-paced thriller full of suspense. Clever twists and turns occur frequently, and I did not see them all coming. Although the two main characters, frenemies Kovac and Allard, spar frequently, there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek banter between them, providing a humorous backdrop to the tense situations they find themselves in. Hand-to-hand combat scenes are visually stunning in their descriptions. A very satisfying ending, yet the author leaves the door open for another installment in the Kovac/Allard saga.

Two opposing factions, both jostling for power: the Third Estate and a group of professional assassins. This is the background in D.R. Berlin’s book The Third Estate. The main character, Sophie Allard, has a past and is desperate to put that behind her. Enrolling as a medical student under the auspices of the military, someone unknown to her is accusing her of murder. Kia Lovak offers to help, but they have a history, and Sophie is wary of trusting him. Which side is he on? A shadowy figure called the Grey Lady appears to be pulling the strings, but for which side? What is her reason? A dying patient whispers a secret to Sophie, and everyone is determined to discover what it is. The words themselves make little sense, but present a puzzle to be solved. As the bodies pile up, both Sophie and Kia are targets, unwilling allies on someone’s hit list.

The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin, I gathered, is not the first in the series, as several hints relate to a previous adventure. There are many twists and turns in this fast-moving thriller, and the reader is kept guessing right to the end. The final revelation was a surprise that I did not see coming. There are many realistic fight scenes with moves clearly explained, while it is difficult to explore which side is representative of good versus evil. Neo the dog was a nice touch, with a surprising owner. To fully immerse yourself in this book, it is not one to pick up and put down, but should be enjoyed in one or at most two sittings.