Emma Tallon returns in top form with Her Enemy, the sixth installment in her Drew Family series.

Few writers manage to balance high-stakes thrills with raw, often uncomfortable emotion as effectively as Tallon does here. Even rarer is the ability to make readers actively root for characters who are complex, ruthless, and frequently operating well outside moral — or legal — bounds. Over the course of this series, Tallon has done exactly that, and Her Enemy reinforces why it works.

As established in earlier entries, Lily — the formidable head of the Drew family crime syndicate — and her niece Scarlet remain its emotional and strategic backbone. This time, however, Tallon shifts focus slightly, allowing Lily’s son Cillian to step more fully into a leadership role. The internal dynamics of the organization evolve as Scarlet and Cillian begin working in tandem, generating impressive profits and restoring a sense of stability. That stability, however, is fragile. Scarlet remains haunted by her role in her cousin Ruby’s death, and her unresolved guilt continues to drive a wedge between her and Cillian.

That tension escalates when Scarlet begins receiving threatening messages connected to the night Ruby died. Her trademark control slips, leaving her shaken and exposed at precisely the wrong moment. At the same time, the Drew family faces renewed danger from one of its oldest enemies, forcing the organization to confront both external threats and internal fractures. Tallon keeps the narrative tightly wound, letting the suspense build without resorting to easy answers.

What continues to make this series compelling is Tallon’s embrace of darkness without losing emotional clarity. The ruthlessness, moral ambiguity, and moments of outright cruelty are balanced by genuine feeling and character depth. The pacing is sharp and relentless — I found it difficult to put the book down — but it’s the glimpses of vulnerability from Scarlet and Lily that resonate most. Those moments humanize them, making it possible to empathize with characters who are undeniably flawed and often dangerous.

Her Enemy is another strong entry in a consistently gripping series, and an easy recommendation for fans of crime-driven thrillers with emotional weight.

Rating: 5/5