Out of Hiding by Rachel DylanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Actually I was going to grade this a 4 ½ stars out of 5 but can’t decide if what’s bothering me is just a pet peeve or really a plot hole so I gave the author the benefit of the doubt and rounded it to 5 stars.
Before we get to that issue, let’s talk a little about the plot. PI Sadie comes across a missing teenager who just might be a victim of a human-trafficking ring run by the man who killed Sadie’s parents resulting in her being put into WitSec for the last twenty years. She teams up with FBI agent Kip Moore who is working the human-trafficking ring but doesn’t know of Sadie’s connection to the ring leader. Yup, lots of tension here.
First, we’re praying for the missing teenager’s rescue before something bad can happen. Then, the author has us worried about how the ring leader’s family feud will impact our hero/heroine. Then, we find out the DEA has been running its own investigation on the family without the FBI’s knowledge. Then to top it all off, the ring leader finds out who Sadie really is. Yikes!
If I didn’t have an ulcer before then I would now. Geez, talk about putting the couple through the ringer.
Now back to the issue I had. Several times a foster care group home was mentioned as possibly a place that the human-trafficking ring was getting its girls but there was no resolution to this. Maybe I was supposed to imply with the rounding up of the ring in Mexico that the group home was also taken care of, but it just felt like a plot hole that wasn’t resolved. Maybe the author plans to use this for a sequel. *grin* That sure would make me happy.
I have to admit I had to keep reminding myself Ms. Dylan was a debut author. Not the normal “It’s a debut author, so I need to...” whatever concession I come up with. This author writes like a long-term author and I had to keep telling myself to slow down and enjoy it because she didn’t have any other works out there for me yet. (Hopefully, it won’t be long *wink wink*)
I can’t remember another debut author that automatically made it to my auto-buy list after the first book. Yes, several debut authors may have gotten a “I might try them again” out of me but Ms. Dylan has found herself a fan for life.
View all my reviews
