Amy

It’s not every day you see your childhood friend and one-time crush on national news. Jackie Sellers just wishes it were under different circumstances. She can’t believe that Ian Lockwood is wanted in connection with a terrorist plot, and she’s determined to find him and help him clear his name. But she’s not the only one looking. The FBI wants him captured. The bad guys want him dead. Ian just wants to stay alive long enough to save thousands of innocent lives.

Eason knocks it out of the park with this suspenseful new thriller.  With twists and turns every few pages, Ian and Jackie can never be sure who they can trust – and they desperately need someone.  The stakes couldn’t be higher, both personally and nationally, and Eason highlights the severity of their plight well.

I loved this story because of the high suspense level and the likeability of the characters.  They were honorable and smart and determined to uncover the truth, yet they couldn’t stop their own feelings from entering the picture, either.  I like that Eason allowed glimpses of their weaknesses to break through, yet presented them as people determined to fight for justice.

Eason has moved onto my short list of favorite authorswith No Place to Hide..  If you like Dani Pettrey, Terri Blackstock, or Dee Henderson, you’ll want to read this.

I received a free copy of No Place to Hide in exchange for an honest review.

An investigator who knows tragic loss firsthand,
and his new client, missing far too long…

Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She might have enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time.

When Shannon contacts private investigator Matthew Dane, a former cop, to help her navigate her reentry into society, he quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn’t mean her troubles are over. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they’ll stop at nothing to silence her.

If justice is to be done, and if Shannon’s life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her–even if it means stirring up a hornet’s nest of secrets.

Dee Henderson delves into organized crime with her latest high-suspense drama!  

That’s one big reason I liked it.  Despite being in a horrific situation for years, Shannon’s trying hard to do the right thing.  She’s strong and forward-thinking.  She doesn’t want to let the past win, even when she’s not sure who’s behind it.  I love a strong female lead.

Henderson has written many books with great female leads, and since this book was set primarily in Chicago, where so many of her other books were, some of her other characters had minor roles in his one.  I enjoyed meeting up with Rachel O’Malley and Ann Falcon again.  It made the wide cast of characters necessary feel less intimidating.  Not all of the characters were familiar to me, though, which makes me wonder if I missed them or if they’ll star in an upcoming book.  Several have piqued my interest.

It’s hard to know how to categorize this book.  There’s definitely an undertone of romance, but it’s not a major theme.  There’s drama, but it’s not on every page.  There’s lots of science, of the forensic and biologic type, and there are murderous bad guys – but since most of the crime is historical, it’s not quite a thriller.  It fits all of those categories and none at the same time.  Maybe you should read it for yourself to decide.

As usual, I couldn’t put Taken down.  I finished it in an afternoon and an evening, keeping my nose buried and the pages turning until I flipped the last one.  I loved Shannon’s spirit and Matthew’s determination to help her transition.  I loved the underlying ‘who-started-it’ mystery and ‘how-can-we-catch’em-all’ determination.

Basically, I just loved it.

I received a free copy of Taken from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.