4.5
*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ian Nash has been dumped by his fiancé and dropped from the theater PhD program at Southern California University. At 29 years old he is broke and has no idea what he’s going to do. Stopping for coffee at a Carrie’s located inside a bank seemed like a good place to think and possibly submit a job application. Unfortunately, the bank is robbed and he’s taken hostage. Ian’s day just went from really crappy to unbelievably screwed. However, after 2 days he escapes. Now, it’s a race to use what he can remember to find the suspects before they find him and take him out of the equation. Permanently.
Christopher Meeks really knows how to put a reader right at the center of the action. The more I read from Ian’s viewpoint the more I realize he’s a loser yet I couldn’t help but like him. Aleece Medina is the FBI agent in charge of the robbery case and she’s a great character, strong yet vulnerable, intelligent and highly intuitive. And boy, there towards the end, does she lay it on Ian. Finally, someone who forces him to reevaluate his life and how he deals with things. The piecing together of the clues is fascinating even if Ian butting his nose in is at times irritating. Though I do understand his viewpoint. It’s his life on the line and if the FBI is going to back burner the case then I can see how he would be motivated to find the robbery/murder suspects before they find him. I enjoyed reading the inner workings of the FBI and how they have to cooperate with other agencies in order to get results. Something people tend to forget. I also loved that this is told from Ian’s and Aleece’s viewpoints, so I really got a feel for them.
This would be a 5 biter for me if it weren’t for all the stuff Ian spouts about plays and theaters and philosophies. I’m sure others will find it awesome and see something insightful in the ramblings, but it’s just not my thing. Otherwise, this is a great suspense book. Figuring out and following the clues to catch all four suspects is something that Ian is surprisingly good at and something Aleece excels at doing. I loved riding along as all the pieces fell into place.
0
