Book Review: No Place to Hide by Lynette Eason

She’ll defend her friend until the bitter end —

But is she in over her head?

The third book in Lynette Eason’s Hidden Identity series, No Place to Hide, is hitting the shelves, both literally and virtually. (Click the links for my reviews of No One to Trust and Nowhere to Turn.)

One down, one to go. Breaking into houses had never been on her top ten list of things to do with her weekend, so when she found herself picking the deadbolt on Ian Lockwood’s two-story home this chilly November evening, Jackie Sellers had a hard time ignoring the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

So begins Jackie Sellers’ goal to prove that her childhood friend, Ian Lockwood, is innocent of bio-terrorism. 

Jackie and Ian were close friends growing up. Both were social misfits who came from dysfunctional families, so they formed a bond that ended when Jackie went to live with her grandfather in Virginia. She went on to become a police officer and he became a medical research scientist. Fast forward to present day when she’s working for Operation Refuge and he’s on the verge of finding a vaccine against malaria—until he opens the wrong email.

The action starts with the first paragraph (above) and doesn’t let up. The two, along with Ian’s dog Gus, are on the run from the real terrorists as well as the government agents who suspect Ian of stealing a dangerous virus from the CDC.

On the spiritual end, Ian places his faith in God, while Jackie can’t see that He’s there for her.

In this book, we get more insight into Ray, the shadowy figure behind Operation Refuge—an interesting man whose relationship with Jackie thrusts him out of those shadows. Ray does what Ray does best. 

I found Ian to be an unexpected character. As a teenager, he was skinny and awkward. Now he’s buffed up and experienced in self-defense, but in the beginning, he still comes off a little awkward. That’s not a bad thing. The man is a research scientist, not a trained law officer. Until Jackie finds him, he remains alive through instinct and “luck.” It was a refreshing change from the too-hunky-to-be-real heroes we often read about.

There were a couple of nice twists in No Place to Hide. By the time one was revealed, it wasn’t a big surprise. For the second, the reader isn’t given enough information beforehand to be suspicious.

I expected Gus (the dog) to take an important role—perhaps in the climax—one he was trained for. While he did come in handy at one point, I was surprised and a little disappointed by how benign he was.

Ms. Eason introduces us to a new character that struck me as a possibility for a heroine in a new series, and a we get a few lines from a possible hero that intrigued me. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. 😉

Of the three books in the series, my favorite is still No One to Trust, but this one rates a close second.

How do you feel about heroes who come across a little less “heroic” than you’re used to? Do you prefer a fictional, alpha-male hunk or someone more realistic?

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher, Revell Publishing, with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.