Power Struggle - Carolyn Arnold

Power Struggle

One hitman who’s back for revenge.
One detective who’s not going down without a fight.


It’s been ten months since Detective Madison Knight almost died at the hands of Russian Mafia hitman Constantine Romanov. She hasn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he escaped police custody and fled to Russia soon after his arrest, except now her latest murder investigation gives her reason to believe he’s back in town. Seeing as the victim is the man who killed her grandfather, her perspective may be a little skewed, but with the MO smacking of Constantine and the victim’s connections to the mob, she finds it hard to be objective. Still, she’s doing her best to consider all the evidence.


When she receives a threatening letter from Constantine, however, her suspicions are confirmed. And he’s made it abundantly clear that not only does he plan to finish what he started but he has her family and loved ones in the crosshairs, too. Madison vows to do whatever it takes to save them, but as the hours race by, the body count rises. And the stakes only get higher when Madison’s sister, Chelsea, goes missing.


Now, Madison’s only play is to take Chelsea’s disappearance for what it really means: Constantine is calling Madison out for one final showdown. And they won’t both survive…

My Review

I have read and reviewed a Madison Knight book before. Last time it was In The Line Of Duty. I had intended to read more in the series before now, but haven't had the chance. This is the latest book, so in terms of a timeline, comes after the last one I read. I would suggest that despite being part of a series, this can very much be read as a standalone novel. Having said that, I should perhaps mention that most of the action in this book is a result of something that happened in a previous book. I haven't read the book in question, so I don't think that it really mattered and it certainly didn't reduce my enjoyment of the story overall.

What I particularly enjoyed about this story was the way that Madison had to deal not only with the threat that she and her loved ones faced but also with the relationships that she has. Madison is living with Troy, but still hasn't fully committed to their relationship. She has to fight the drive to deal with everything alone. This isn't just with Troy, there is also her partner Terry who is there for her, the police chief, who also happens to be Troy's sister and her family. Madison clearly has a difficult relationship with her mother and this becomes clear in this book.

This was a really good read that I really enjoyed. I did find that the end was a little rushed, but I'm not sure if that was the book itself or my reading. If you enjoy a good detective story, particularly a police book, then you can't go far wrong with Power Struggle.