The Innocent: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel (edition 2012)

Elbows to knees. ( )

The opening finds (Vanessa) Michael again battling her past demons in nightmares that require drugs for her to sleep. In the meantime, Logan, an old friend that Munroe considers her family, approaches her for help in rescuing his daughter from the cult he escaped. Michael enlists the help of her formerly imposed partner, Bradford as they travel to Argentina. However, the cults connections to a large mafia family complicate the extraction. Yet, in Bradford’s acceptance of her, Munroe finds the strength to embrace her talents to save Hannah. Stevens brings the reader to a suspension of disbelief as we watch uberheroine Vanessa once again save the day. ( )

A second date with Michael Munroe

In my review of Taylor Stevens’ debut novel, The Innocent, I wrote:

“Munroe is a chameleon, changing back and forth from Vanessa Munroe to Michael Munroe as identity and gender suit her needs. She's a harsh character, and really took some getting used to. Even now, I couldn't describer as the least bit likable. She has no warmth, no apparent humor, and makes few attachments. Her code of morality is... situational. So much of my response to this novel had to do with my response to her... In the end, it really does come back to character. Munroe is cut from a bit of the same cloth as Steig Larsson's Lisbeth Salander with a dash of Alias's Sydney Bristow. She's impressive as hell, more than a little scary, and deeply flawed. It was interesting meeting her, but the jury is out on whether I want to spend more time in her company.”

Now, my mom encouraged me to give men a second date unless there was a really compelling reason not to, and I guess I feel the same way about authors. Plus, I was fairly interested in the plot of this installment, as it dealt with Michael’s assignment, on behalf of a friend, to extract a young girl from an internationally-based religious cult much like the one Ms. Stevens was raised in and escaped from. How could that not be interesting?

I was right. It was. The plot wasn’t as complex as the one in her first novel, but it didn’t need to be. There was plenty of story without being unnecessarily convoluted. The pacing was good and the tale moved well. Ms. Stevens’ fiction continues to be just as smart and character-driven as her debut novel was. But I have to admit I’m having exactly the same issue as I did with the first novel. The author promised that we’d get to know Michael better in subsequent novels, but she’s a hard character to get to know—and when you get right down to it, just not very likeable. This is how she reacts to a welcoming hug:

“Her response to the uninvited physical contact was instant, a drive so intense that it required every shard of focus to keep her solidly in place. The rhythm of violence pounded in her chest and she remained frozen, fighting the urge to destroy him, to crush his head against the wall.”

Is she damaged? Uh, yeah. But she’s still scary as hell and it’s hard to find her sympathetic. Or at least it is for me. At the end of the second book in this series, I feel as though I’m at the exact same juncture with Ms. Stevens and Ms. Munroe. How many dates am I going to give them to see if we click? Well, the canny publisher has already put a galley of book three in my hands, so perhaps just one more… ( )

The Innocent is a second good book from Taylor Stevens, as her take-no-prisoners heroine, Vanessa Michael Munroe, goes deep inside a cult to extricate a kidnapped child. One of those books that keeps you turning pages long after you should have gone to sleep. I should note that it's a bit hard to read in (more than a few) places, given the difficult subject matter. ( )

The Informationist introduced Vanessa 'Michael' Munroe, a damaged heroine with a set of unique skills developed as a means of surviving her troubled childhood. While The Informationist made it on to my wishlist last year I hadn't the opportunity to read it before this arrived for review. It's a shame because I think that my enjoyment of this novel would have been enhanced with a fuller understanding of Munroe's history. That being said, it matters little in terms of the story in this second installment of this new thriller series.

Fast-paced and action packed, The Innocent sees Munroe infiltrating a cult in Argentina to retrieve a thirteen year old girl at the behest of Logan, Munroe's closest friend. In the eight years that Hannah has been held captive by 'The Chosen' she has been moved frequently but Logan finally has reliable information she is in Argentina and hopes Munroe can rescue her before she disappears again. The plot is fairly simple though the logistics of the mission requires a mix of complex skills including surveillance, infiltration and covert ops. There were elements of the plot I thought could have stronger, particularly the motive of The Chosen for taking Hannah and working so hard to keep her hidden. Oddly, despite the high stakes, violence and potential for problems to arise, I found the tension quite weak at times. Mainly I think because the cult posed little threat to someone with Munroe's talent and Hannah's rescue was rarely in doubt.

Munroe is an unusual contrast of incredible deadly skill, emotional vulnerability, a champion of the innocent as well as a borderline sociopath. During The Innocent she is plagued by nightmares, struggling with guilt and vulnerable because of the internal conflict, as well as the importance of this operation to her personally due to her relationship with Logan. This adds some risk to the case, but not quite enough for it to be a source of suspense. Still Munroe is an appealing and complex character who makes for an intriguing and original protagonist.

What I found particularly fascinating as background to this novel is Stevens personal history as a former cult member and how it informs the story of The Innocent. Stevens places her own emphasis on the cults operation and the repercussions for it's members, both current and former. Stevens experience brings an authenticity to the storyline without the sensational tone most exploit.

The Innocent is an entertaining thriller and though it didn't quite reach its potential for me, the series is one that holds much promise. I would like to read the first and will look for the third, titled The Doll, which puts Munroe in conflict with human traffickers and is expected to be published in 2013. ( )