Wednesday, October 16, 2024

The Girl in the Smoke

The Girl in the Smoke by Matt Hilton
2/6/24; 240 pages
Severn House

The Girl in the Smoke by Matt Hilton is a highly recommended action thriller that moves at a fast and furious pace.

Eight-year-old Danni lives with her adoptive mother Josie, and Josie's partner Pete. Danni is tall for her age and loves dogs. When she sees a woman, Steph, walking a small Bichon Frisé named Franklin, Danni is excited to pet the little dog, even though she knows she is not suppose to talk to strangers. Josie and Danni later see Step out with Franklin again, so Josie meets Steph and invites her over to their house. Josie also notices a dangerous looking man out watching Danni for the second day.

While visiting with Steph at her house, a strange man shows up at the front door while the dangerous looking man enters the back door. They want information from Danni, from before she was adopted and still with her mother. Danni has claimed no memory of anything after she was the sole survivor of an accident. The men want information and are trying to force Danni to remember because her mother stole something before she died and they want the information to find it.

They end up kidnapping Josie and Danni in an attempt to get more information. They leave Pete beaten and tied up in a pantry. Josie's sister Grace arrives at her big sister's house finds Pete and learns her sister and niece were taken. Pete insists no police, so Grace takes matters into her own hands and contacts a man she met, Kyle, who she is sure has the skills she needs to rescue her sister and niece.

After introducing characters and setting up the story, The Girl in the Smoke quickly becomes an action-packed, lightning-fast-paced, un-put-downable thriller that is sheer escapism. Yes, you will need to set disbelief aside a time or two and there is violence, but you also know that the clock is ticking and the safety of Josie and perhaps even Danni is not guaranteed.

The characters are given enough development to easily understand their mindset and how they think. The transitions between the different points-of-view in the plot are smooth and seamless. You will care about the fate of Danni and Josie and be rooting for Grace and Kyle to save them. Thanks to Severn House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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