A beautiful meld of romance and crime fiction, The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson is an engaging story that follows one young woman’s fight to keep her family interests away from deadly enemies. Commander Jacob Edwards has always been a hero to his daughter, thanks to his bravery in responding to a pirate attack on a cruise ship, and that was years ago. Now, after a tragedy strikes his family, Danielle believes that by moving away from the family business and focusing on her dance company she could leave behind memories of the tragedy, but she soon finds out that there is a conspiracy that could ruin her family. And Danielle is not one who lets anything come between her and her family, no matter what it is. So, she is poised to fight back. But is she well-armed?

The novel starts with a backstory, exploring events surrounding the life of Jacob, and the narrative is done in a strong third person narrative, shifting between Jacob and Danielle. The shifts between past and present are well done and this creates the suspense that holds the reader’s attention throughout. Dan E. Hendrickson has a singular gift for storytelling and he weaves backstories into the narrative in a seamless manner, without distracting readers in the least. The prose is clean and the author seems to have a great sense of setting as well. The Good Fight is a powerful story told around the importance of family, with sophisticated characters and very strong plot elements.

The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson is an engaging story with a lot for readers — romance, adventure, steamy action, crime, corruption, and a gritty investigation — the first book in The Last Enemy series. Danielle had always adored her father, Commander Jacob Edwards, whose bravery against a pirate attack at sea earned him the title of Hero of Cozumel. But then tragedy strikes and everything seems to fall apart. To get her life back together, Danielle takes some time away from the family business, focusing on her dance company. But everything changes when she discovers a conspiracy to destroy everything she holds dear. Now, she must fight for her family, but does she have what it takes to combat the kind of enemies coming her way?

I was immediately gripped by Dan E. Hendrickson’s elegant prose, his gift for plot and character, and the fine plot elements introduced into the story. The writing is suspenseful and the story follows two points of view, that of Danielle and that of Jacob, creating an arresting sense of suspense that carries the story gracefully forward. The scenes are well-crafted, action-packed, and infused with strong emotions. The author skillfully uses red herrings to keep the reader interested in the story. The characters are well-crafted with a rare sense of humanity and they are very believable. Readers will find themselves following Danielle and caring about her, a character who is focused and whose sense of family is so strong it is blinding at times. The Good Fight is captivating, a beautifully written story with a satisfying conclusion. There couldn’t be a better entry for a compelling series.

The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson is the first novel of a planned trilogy titled The Last Enemy Series, centred around the exploits of the Edwards family. Commander Jacob Edwards, although a Coast Guard hero, was forced to retire after he killed a notorious pirate off the Mexican/US Coast. Commander Edwards had planned all along to leave the Coast Guard and help out in the family business, run by his father, Jim, one of the largest vehicle wholesale auction firms in America. After Jacob, his wife and his mother are all tragically killed in a plane crash, his daughter, Danielle, seeks solace and comfort with her maternal grandparents in Texas. What none of the family realises is that nothing in their lives is coincidence. Jim Edwards and his family have been targeted from the beginning by an evil criminal who aims to become the biggest money launderer in the US. So begins this fast-paced thriller as Danielle seeks to put the past behind her and start again.

As a debut novel, I found The Good Fight to be an action-packed, explosive adventure, which bodes well for the full series. Like all new authors, Dan E. Hendrickson still has things to learn, but that doesn’t detract from an interesting premise, a twisting plot, and some excellent action sequences. Although I figured out the final twist fairly early on, the story was still enjoyable and the author's writing style encouraged a fast read. The characters were a little overdrawn perhaps, especially Jacob Edwards who came across somewhere between Captain America and Superman. That having been said, Danielle, as a lead female character, was strong, independent and very tough, but still retained her femininity, which is a credit to the author. I suspect the second and third instalments of this tale will be just as interesting and exciting. It will be fascinating to watch the development of Hendrickson as a writer through the next two books. A good start to what promises to be an exciting series.

The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson follows Danielle, a strong and determined young woman who is trying to come to terms with losing her mother, grandmother and father in a tragic plane accident. She only has her beloved grandfather, Jim, owner of Edwards Auto, to support her as she tries to sort her life out. Charles Yeager, a former friend of Danielle's deceased father, Jacob, has become FBI Deputy Director and he is investigating the strange assassination attempt on Jacob years previously. His enquiries lead him to a notorious and heartless Russian hit man called Boris. Jim and Danielle Edwards are unaware that they will soon be visited by Boris who is looking to take something precious from them. They finally come face to face with Boris, and what he believes to be a simple assassination job becomes a fight to the death.

The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson has everything a crime and mystery novel should provide, and a lot more. The story follows a brilliantly created character in Danielle Edwards; she is strongly determined and a martial artist. The author has written a very well constructed plot; it is exciting and full of twists and turns. I was really not expecting the ending and the way the author builds suspense is terrific. The writer has created a love story, a story of vicious underworld criminals, and a police investigation, and managed to put it all together in a remarkable novel. This is definitely a book everyone should read if they love a strong female protagonist and a story line that doesn’t fail to excite until the last sentence. Boris is one of the most spine-chilling characters I have read about in a long time.

The Good Fight: Book One of The Last Enemy series by Dan E. Hendrickson revolves around Danielle Edwards, heiress to Edwards Auto, one of the largest auto wholesalers in the U.S. Danielle has an uncanny head for business and sales and she knows about cars. She does not mind getting her hands dirty, whether it is in detailing, auto mechanics, or upholstery. She is trying to pick up the threads of her life after losing her father, mother, and grandmother in a plane wreck. An explosion on board has been deemed as the cause, and the investigation is still pending. Jacob Edwards, Danielle’s father, had already been a target of an assassination attempt earlier. With a combination of action, adventure, intrigue, suspense, romance, family, and crime, the plot reveals a deeper plan that involves the Coast Guard, automobile wholesalers, smugglers, and many others.

The author writes an amazing thriller that will keep readers glued till the last page, with some exciting twists and turns that instill in readers a sense of urgency and anticipation in finding out what is going happen. The author does not lose the tempo of the story and manages to keep the same pace and movement right to the end. There are many characters in the story and they fit into the plot perfectly. I liked the portrayal of the characters, both the good ones and bad ones, as they are memorable to readers. The story is well executed and I am sure, like me, many readers are waiting for Book Two!

Fast paced and enjoyable, The Good Fight by Dan E. Hendrickson is the first book in The Last Enemy series. This highly enjoyable and well-developed story was filled with amazing characters, a sharp-minded protagonist and a good plot line that had me hooked and kept me from leaving the story. The moment I started reading it, I knew that I would be sucked right in and would not be able to put the novel down until I knew how it ended and what the characters would do to stay afloat. The story line flows very effortlessly and makes you feel like you are a character in the story.

This is the story of Danielle Edwards, a young woman who is the heir to a thriving business. Well-adjusted and living the good life, her world comes crashing down when her father, mother and her grandmother die in a plane crash. However, soon she realizes that there is something far more sinister happening around her and that her family’s death was not just a freak accident. Given her father’s position in society, he was targeted by a syndicate crime boss who wants something from the Edwards family and he will do anything to get what he wants. The question is: what does he want?

I enjoyed how strong and level-headed Danielle was. She was no damsel in distress; she was a strong woman who knew that there was something wrong and she was ready to take charge of the situation to make sure that she found out what was happening. I wanted to root for her and believe in her. The momentum of the story is good, the fast-paced plot kept my mind racing and wanting to know what would happen next. This is a brilliant novel, one that I would love to read again. Interesting and entertaining!