The Book:
Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia, 2020
The Characters:
Nora Trier, forensic accountant
Logan Russo, pro fighter, and her husband Gregg
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Nora Trier catches thieves. As a forensic accountant and partner in her downtown Minneapolis firm, she’s unearthed millions in every corner of the world. She prides herself on her independence, the most essential currency of accounting, until her firm is hired by Strike.
An anti-corporate, feminist athletic empire, Strike is owned by Logan Russo, a brash and legendary kickboxer, and her marketing genius husband, Gregg Abbott. They’re about to host a major kickboxing tournament with twenty million dollars in prize money, and the chance for the champion to become the new face of the company. Gregg suspects his wife already has a new face in mind—a young trainer named Aaden, for whom Logan feels an unexpected connection.
Days before the tournament begins, it’s discovered that the prize money is missing. Gregg hires Nora’s firm to find both the thief and the money but Nora has a secret connection to Strike that threatens her independence. Her partner pressures her into taking the case anyway, hinting he has information about Strike that could change the course of the investigation in a shocking and deadly way.
The Twist:
Nora’s partner Corbitt had been involved in the embezzlement scheme.
Gregg had set up the whole scheme to frame Logan and Aaden. Aaden noticed the money entering his account and realized that he was being framed. He confronted Gregg in the locker room with a gun, and Gregg ended up shooting him with his own gun and posing it to look like a suicide.
Logan also noticed he was framing her. She bribed Nora’s business partner to move the money even further away to catch Gregg at his own game.
Gregg kidnapped Nora and confessed to her before trying to kill her. Logan showed up and killed Gregg instead.
The Ending:
Logan and Nora became a couple (Nora’s marriage is open). Logan was able to retrieve the money and pay the tournament winners. She made Nora the next face of Strike.
The Review:
Anyone else think forensic accounting sounds like an oxymoron? So badass and nerdy at the same time!
I listened to this audiobook in one day. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It was fast-paced and engaging, given that the story is a literal race against time. Both the kickboxing and forensic accounting details were neat to read about.
I found it interesting and enjoyed the plot and intricate financial details. I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters, but they were believable and I liked them well enough.
Mild annoyance: Gregg’s mom, who inspired him to become a salesman, was a Mary Kay consultant. Mary Kay is a multi-level marketing scheme (pyramid scheme), not a legitimate sales job, and seeing that kind of thing promoted in novels always irks me. Now, if Mindy Mejia had acknowledged Mary Kay’s predatory business model, I would be praising her here. Don’t join MLMs, kids, unless you enjoy flushing money down the toilet for pipe dreams and crap products.
