Coincidence Usually Takes A Lot Of Planning

After the events in the first book, Tori Hunter resigned from the FBI and went to therapy in order to do some profound soul-searching. She moved back to Manchester Bay to be near her boyfriend Braddock, the lead detective of Shepherd County. She’s unsure what to do with her life and is teaching a few classes at the local uni, something that seems to agree with her.

Braddock is called to a crime scene at a lake house where the mother is shot in the hallway and the17-year-old daughter, Savannah has been abducted. As Tori is in the car and it looks like a complicated matter, sheriff Cal Lund deputises her on the spot. The father arrives half an hour after the police and is the first suspect. It is soon obvious that this is not a crime of opportunity but of purpose and that a lot of planning went into it. There are several possibilities as to why Savannah may have been targeted; another girl of her dance team disappeared 3 months earlier and this could be connected, her dad has made enemies in the past, the family is very well of but no ransom is asked, it could be an abduction by a sex syndicate.

The reader knows that she’s being held in a brothel where girls are kept prisoner but she’s not put to work. We also learn that her captors are following another girl that they have to snatch as well. But we’re left in the dark as to who the shot caller is and why he wants those 2 (or will there be more?) girls.

This was super super suspenseful. The story was well constructed and fits together seamlessly. It may be a bit far-fetched but for the sake of the story, you must go along with that. It is an original and fresh plot. The finale is absolutely breathtaking. It has everything to make a good movie as well; a strong and intelligent storyline, awesome landscapes, an interesting cast of good and evil characters and a good balance between hard action and a clever investigation

Unfortunately, I found out the reason for the abductions early on in the story. As soon as a certain fact was mentioned as a byline, I knew that it would be connected to the kidnapping. The detectives think about that possibility only halfway through. It didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the story though. There are plenty of elements that are unknown at that time. You still don’t know who’s behind the scheme or if the girls will be able to escape or be found in time.

I love Braddock for his superior moral code. It’s something that has become a rarity in modern society. Call me old- fashioned but what’s wrong with fidelity or loyalty to your partner?

A nice touch is the clever subtitles above each chapter. They’re nearly always a quote taken directly from the text, something relevant for that part of the narrative.

I could relate very well to the weather conditions in February Minnesota, as we’re going through an unusually cold winter week with temperatures reaching -12C and streets full of snow and ice. Laugh all you want, Scandinavians, Canadians and other cold experts but we didn’t have proper snow for at least 3 years! That used to be different before global warming!

It says that Minnesota has more than 10 000 lakes and I googled some fantastic foto’s. It must be very desolate and isolated in winter. But it is absolutely beautiful if you can take the freezing temperatures, that is.

I thank Netgalley and for the free ARC they provided and this is my honest and unbiased review of it.