Thomas & Mercer: 3/1/20
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13: 9781542005906
Rachel Marin Series #1
Hide Away by Jason Pinter is a very highly recommended procedural thriller and a wonderful start to a new series.
Rachel Marin is a mom to two kids who became a vigilante after an unspeakable crime shatters their lives. The novel opens seven years in the past on the day Rachel's life changed and then jumps to the present day when a mugger jumps Rachel on her way home. She expertly incapacitates him and hurries home to her children, Eric, 13, and Megan, 7. The family is now living in Ashby, Illinois, a small town where Rachel is hoping her kids can be safe and they can live a quiet incognito life.
When Rachel sees a news story that a former mayor of her town is found dead, most people are thinking suicide, but Rachel is one intelligent woman and she immediately figures out from the news account who the victim was, the former mayor of Ashby, Constance Wright, and that it was murder. She calls the detectives anonymously and tells them what she thinks and why. Detectives John Serrano and Leslie Tally are on the case and they track Rachel down to question her. The detectives resent her involvement in the case, but Rachel wants justice for Constance and can't leave it alone.
I'm just going to admit that once I started this thriller I stayed up way-too-late reading "just one more chapter" to finish it. I really like the character of Rachel and I liked the flashbacks that explained how she made herself into the woman she is today. Yes, she is a vigilante, but she ultimately is trying to seek justice to protect others from harm. We also won't learn exactly what the trauma was that changed her life until the very end. This means there are two cases being followed in the narrative - the present day murder mystery and the mystery about Rachel's past.
The writing and plot development is exceptional. All the characters are well-developed and have backstories and an emotional depth to them. The plot is fast paced, the suspense is relentless, and chapters set in both the present and past are equally compelling. I like the complexity of the plot and had no trouble following what was happening in both timelines. Hide Away is an extraordinary start to a new series and I can't wait until the next book is released. (Normally I read and review closer to publication dates, but my ARC initially had an earlier publication date.)
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer.
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