Danger Unknown
By Kathi Oram
Peterson
Publisher: Covenant Communications (March 1,
2022)
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1524419699
ISBN-13: 978-1524419691
Publisher’s Blurb:
The small
desert town seemed like the perfect place to disappear―until Brooke Steward’s
worst nightmare walks into the diner where she works. The man who killed her
husband has found her―again. Desperate to protect her young daughter, Brooke
has no choice but to run for their lives.
Awakened
by a haunting nightmare that has plagued him for years, Michael Calder is
startled by a knock at the door of his remote Montana ranch. He is even more
shocked when he finds a disheveled child on his steps who silently leads him to
her injured mother. In making the split-second decision to bring Brooke and her
daughter into his home, Michael is unwittingly drawn with them into the path of
danger. Someone is determined to silence Brooke, no matter the cost. In their
quest for the truth, Brooke and Michael come to trust each other completely,
their relationship deepening into something more. But even as the lines between
friendship and love blur, the explosive secrets of the past are finally
revealed. Now they must fight to survive or risk becoming the latest casualties
in a deadly conspiracy.
My Thoughts:
The blurb was more
exciting than the actual book. This story was just not very original: brave
widowed mother on the run for her life with her adorable daughter. Traumatized
vet of war in the Middle East. Why am I so attracted to this person I barely
know? She’s so brave/he’s so kind.
I did love the
idea that Michael trains therapy horses, although I’m not 100% sure the author
knows a lot about it. My freshman daughter is currently competing in speech and
debate with a speech about horse therapy, and receives horse therapy herself,
so we’re big believers and fans. I know that the idea of therapy horses is not
central to the story, but I think the author—who does relate that her sister had
benefited from her relationship with horses—could have done more research/explanation.
Horse therapy is as close as we can get on this earth to actual magic.
There were some definite
issues in this book as far as relationship to facts. “Whispering Pines” Montana
(not a real town) is supposed to be somewhat near the Crow Reservation. That puts
it in the south central part of the state. Yet the Flathead County sheriff’s
department comes and retrieves a body. Flathead County, where I lived for six
years, is an eight-hour drive and a mountain range away. There are a dozen
counties that would be more logical. In addition, why would the county sheriff’s
office be based in the tiny town rather than in the county seat? It doesn’t
make sense. This is literally something that five minutes and Google would have
fixed—but neither the author nor the editor appears to have gone to the
trouble. Disappointing. Of course, I need to acknowledge that this is an advanced
reader copy, and this error may have been fixed on final. I certainly hope so.
Likewise with the
author saying someone was sliding like a “bobsledder on a luge”. As I write
this, I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics. Bobsleds and luges are two
separate apparatus.
I didn’t find any
of the characters to be particularly engaging—go back to my opening paragraph
about how they were unoriginal. The ultimate villain in the story was a
cardboard cutout. The sudden revelation by Brooke’s mother was totally out of
left field.
I did like when
Michael was teaching Brooke about shooting—he points out some very important
principles of gun safety. This book is squarely in the “guns can be useful but
they are dangerous tools and must be treated with respect” camp—which is a
thing that I respect.
Sorry, but there
just wasn’t much to this book that would make it stand out in a positive way.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
People get shot
and killed. Some other minor violence. Perilous situations. Deception. Kissing.
Who Might Like This
Book:
Fans of romantic
suspense who don’t have high expectations for anything new or groundbreaking
and who can overlook factual problems.
Thank you to the
publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.
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