Summary: She couldn't stop it. Not then. Not now.If she'd only turned her head, she would have seen the car containing her daughter, struggling to get out. Struggling to escape her kidnapper.
Despite all her years determining the fates of families, veteran family court judge Hope Willis couldn't save her own. Now she's frantically grasping at any hope for Krissy's rescue. Her husband dead–set against it, she calls Casey Woods and her team of renegade investigators,Forensic Instincts.
A behaviorist. A techno–wizard. An intuitive. A former Navy SEAL. Unconventional operatives. All with unique talents and personal reasons for being part of Casey's group, they'll do whatever it takes.
Able to accurately read people after the briefest of encounters, Casey leads her crew to Krissy's home. There, she picks up the signs of a nervous spouse, a guilty conscience, a nanny that hides on her cell. She watches as secrets beg to creep into the open.
Forensic Instincts will dig through each tiny clue and eliminate the clutter. But time is running out, and even working around the clock, the authorities are bound by the legal system. Not so Casey's team. For they know that the difference between Krissy coming back alive and disappearing forever could be as small as a suspect's rapid breathing, or as deep as Hope's dark family history.
Review: This is a great series debut from a seasoned NY Times bestselling author. If you are familiar with her work and are looking for an Andrea Kane romance, this isn't it. However, as I had no expectations going into this, I was pleasantly surprised.
The premise of this book is fascinating. What would happen if there were a resource out there that could bend the rules, ignore the bureaucracy, and just get results. Of course in the real world there would be all sorts of legal ramifications with that scenario, but if you are willing to suspend your belief a tad, it's an intriguing idea. It reminded me of a socially acceptable version of the Leverage gang, only instead of a band of criminals it's a band of Criminalists and former law enforcement personnel. Actually, the whole story read a lot like a screen play.
One regard that may have been better on screen than on the page was the enormous cast of characters. Ms. Kane goes to a great deal of trouble to make sure the law enforcement representation is accurate. Unfortunately, that made of a lot of incidental characters to keep track of. I found all the main characters interesting and was slightly disappointed that the plot drove the story to the point that the reader didn't get to know the Forensic Instincts team as well as I would have liked. Casey is smart and she is comfortable enough with herself that she knows how to value skills she doesn't have, but that Forensic Instincts would have use for. I love that she added to the team as she saw fit, including the intuitive, Claire. While some may see this as a plot device, I thought it added dimension to the story.
Though I picked out the kidnapper 50 pages in and then later the accomplice when s/he is introduced, it was still interesting to watch the process and the twists it took to get to the resolution. The story itself is heartbreaking and brimming with psychological trauma. Ms. Kane is an accomplished writer and weaves a good tale. Again, though, I had the sense that it may lend itself better to screen than paper.
I think Andrea Kane laid the foundation for an incredible series. I can't wait to learn more about all of the characters and see how the Forensic Instincts team grows and changes. I will certainly be reading more of this series.
Final Take: 3.5/5
If you'd like a sneak peak at this book, prologue and first chapter, here's the link.
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