Romantic Suspense published by Grand Central Publishing 01 Sep 20
I have nothing against Eve Duncan and, in fact, have enjoyed every single of the 30-plus books featuring her, but it’s a refreshing change of pace to meet some new characters. The story is told in a style very reminiscent of the author’s original romantic suspense stories that were heavy on the suspense and somewhat abrupt on the romance. I might almost feel like this is a half-written manuscript that Ms. Johansen polished up and modernized, but she does bring in the recent events from the Eve stories set in Africa. Regardless, this is a well-written solid read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The true heroes of this story are Chaos, a purebred horse who’s ancestry is lost in the pages of history, and his horse whisperer friend Sasha. It is not clear how Sasha’s horse whispering abilities have gotten beyond the confines of her very exclusive boarding school, but they bring one of the most evil warlords in Africa to the door of her school. In a hidden camp in the jungle, this man holds the CIA and some of richest most influential families in the world hostage to the well being of the kidnapped teenage girls whom he abuses horribly.
CIA agent Alisa has a special relationship with Sasha. She circumvents her chain of command in the CIA to recruit one of the richest and most brilliant minds in the world in her quest to rescue the girls and hold the kidnappers accountable. Her approach definitely gets Gabe’s attention, and, against his security team’s advice, he’s on board before his team can finish checking out Alisa’s credentials. With his technology and mercenary forces and dog whisperer Margaret Douglas, the team is ready to mobilize. Their plans work in a spectacular fashion, but unfortunately Sasha and her horse Chaos are swept up in their kidnappers’ escape and continue to be held in a now-secret location. Apparently Sasha is to ride the horse Chaos to victory in a horse race.
Gabe mobilizes his resources to find Sasha’s new location, even as Alisa recovers from a gunshot wound she got in the original rescue attempt. The suspense builds up as the story unfolds, with some cute and funny moments such as the sourcing of a sauna for the women of the Bedouin tribe who is working both sides of the fence. There’s also the woo woo for Gabe, who, despite being as high tech as he is, can’t grasp the psychic communication between Sasha and her horses and Margaret and her dog and other animals. Certainly the communication between Sasha and Chaos adds a nice touch to the overall telling of the story, especially the “stomping” out of the bad guys.
I look forward to a possible telling of Sasha’s story in the future, since there is strong bonding happening between Sasha and Gabe’s top operative in the field.
Grade: B
Summary:
When CIA agent Alisa Flynn flaunts the rules by breaking into a mansion in the middle of the night, she skillfully circumvents alarms and outwits guards only to find herself standing in billionaire Gabe Korgan’s study . . . busted by Korgan himself. This could cost her her job unless, in a split second, she can turn the tables and try to convince him to join her on the most important mission of her life.
In a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, schoolgirls in Africa have been kidnapped, and Alisa knows that Korgan has the courage, financial means, and high-tech weaponry to help rescue them. With so many innocent lives hanging in the balance, what she doesn’t reveal is that one of those schoolgirls is like a little sister to her. But when the truth gets out, the stakes grow even higher.
Calling in additional assistance from renowned horse whisperer Margaret Douglas, Alisa and Gabe lay their plans, only to see them descend into chaos as the line between right and wrong wavers before them like a mirage. Every path is strewn with pitfalls, each likely to get them — or the hostages — killed. But with the help of a brave team and a horse with the heart of a warrior, they might just get out of this alive.
