1LyndaInOregon
Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided for review by publishers Black Rose Writing, via Library Thing.
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This is an impressive debut for what is apparently proposed as an action series set in Colorado and centering on law enforcement and search and rescue scenarios. It’s Torrens’ first published novel, but there is apparently an unpublished prequel lurking about somewhere, with events from it referenced in this volume. Torrens does a workmanlike job of orienting the reader in the timeline, providing just enough information about the characters and events to provide background for the series opener.
Tyler Zahn is a retired Air Force pilot, a divorced dad, and a man who carries a lot of unresolved guilt around on his shoulders. He’s also moving toward qualifying for membership in a civilian auxiliary to the local sheriff’s department, and is an active member in the Search & Rescue team based in the small Colorado mountain town where he now lives.
So he’s a busy man when his estranged daughter chooses to spend an extended spring break from college visiting and getting re-acquainted. The two are working toward a tenuous relationship when the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl visiting the area upsets Zahn’s carefully-planned (daughter Daria would probably say over-planned) vacation schedule.
The suspense gets cranked up as the reader realizes (and the searchers and law-enforcement personnel begin to figure out) that more than one child is involved, and that the whole slimy mess is somehow tied up with the kiddy-porn video industry. Things come to a boil about three-quarters of the way through the book when Daria inadvertently stumbles onto the secret and is taken hostage, along with the remaining girls, as the perpetrator attempts to escape the manhunt on their trail.
It's a ripping good read, and wraps up with a mostly satisfactory resolution and a few signposts indicating the way to the next entry in the series.
Certainly it’s not perfect. The fact that Zahn’s ex-wife is Black (and Daria, obviously, is bi-racial) feels sort of just tacked-on and doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with any of the issues or motivations father and daughter are trying to work through. The villain’s motivation and actions run from obscure to unlikely, and when the underlying reason is revealed, it doesn’t do much to take the character out of the nut-job category – always an easy way out for an author looking to provide a “why” for the conflict.
On the positive side, Torrens’ real-life experience as an SAR responder in the area where he’s set his tale provides a real-life background that rings true in both procedure and motivation. This is a writer and a series to keep an eye on.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This is an impressive debut for what is apparently proposed as an action series set in Colorado and centering on law enforcement and search and rescue scenarios. It’s Torrens’ first published novel, but there is apparently an unpublished prequel lurking about somewhere, with events from it referenced in this volume. Torrens does a workmanlike job of orienting the reader in the timeline, providing just enough information about the characters and events to provide background for the series opener.
Tyler Zahn is a retired Air Force pilot, a divorced dad, and a man who carries a lot of unresolved guilt around on his shoulders. He’s also moving toward qualifying for membership in a civilian auxiliary to the local sheriff’s department, and is an active member in the Search & Rescue team based in the small Colorado mountain town where he now lives.
So he’s a busy man when his estranged daughter chooses to spend an extended spring break from college visiting and getting re-acquainted. The two are working toward a tenuous relationship when the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl visiting the area upsets Zahn’s carefully-planned (daughter Daria would probably say over-planned) vacation schedule.
The suspense gets cranked up as the reader realizes (and the searchers and law-enforcement personnel begin to figure out) that more than one child is involved, and that the whole slimy mess is somehow tied up with the kiddy-porn video industry. Things come to a boil about three-quarters of the way through the book when Daria inadvertently stumbles onto the secret and is taken hostage, along with the remaining girls, as the perpetrator attempts to escape the manhunt on their trail.
It's a ripping good read, and wraps up with a mostly satisfactory resolution and a few signposts indicating the way to the next entry in the series.
Certainly it’s not perfect. The fact that Zahn’s ex-wife is Black (and Daria, obviously, is bi-racial) feels sort of just tacked-on and doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with any of the issues or motivations father and daughter are trying to work through. The villain’s motivation and actions run from obscure to unlikely, and when the underlying reason is revealed, it doesn’t do much to take the character out of the nut-job category – always an easy way out for an author looking to provide a “why” for the conflict.
On the positive side, Torrens’ real-life experience as an SAR responder in the area where he’s set his tale provides a real-life background that rings true in both procedure and motivation. This is a writer and a series to keep an eye on.
