In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon

Reviewed by Dale Lewis

"Hannon’s characters are believable, white collar, common sense people. There is no rest for the weary when it comes to her ever-accelerating storyline."

During his fifteen years with the Bureau, FBI special agent Nick Bradley has dismissed his share of outrageous stories . . . until he reluctantly meets with Rachel Sutton, an artistic piano instructor at the end of a shift. She hands him a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him about the strange feeling of terror that pulsates through her body when she touches it.

Nick gently releases her with the standard FBI lines until he stumbles across a link between the doll and an abducted child. This discovery rapidly sets in motion a chain of events uncovering startling connections while also putting Rachel's life on the line. Thrown into a growing mystery, a mutual respect and affection for one another develops.

The inclusion of Mark and Coop, the former leads in her first two titles in the series, helps to connect all three stories together (even though they can read as stand-alone novels). This third book was equal in both story and characters to her previous books in the Quantico series. Hannon’s characters are believable, white collar, common sense people. There is no rest for the weary when it comes to her ever-accelerating storyline.

As a reader, you’ll feel the tension, be swept into an adventure of twists and turns, question the validity of telepathy as well as witness a budding love story. Even though the ending is somewhat predictable, there were times when I was overly anxious for the conclusion to happen sooner than later.

My only disappointment is that the fire between Nick and Rachel developed too quickly after their first encounter. It bordered on a soap opera script at times (although my wife would empathically state that I am not as romantic as I may think)! The idea that “adventure filled with danger will bring people closer to each other” appears to be a staple in Hannon’s novels and it works.

In Harm’s Way is well written with depth and expressive detail, due to her through research. It is full of suspense, redemption, mystery, compassion and romance.

Dale Lewis now mans the front desk at the EFCA (The Evangelical Free Church of America) National Office in Minneapolis, MN. He was the graphic designer/pre-press production artist for over twelve years before being asked to step into this new role. Prior to that, he was the publications manager at his alma mater, Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN in the public relations office as well as the adviser to the college’s yearbook. He's a director/actor/writer for the Hope Church (Oakdale, MN) adult drama worship team and was the senior editor of the church newsletter. He's also written two collections of poetry, “Whispers of Assurance” and “On Life: Constant Communion Without Ceasing” as well as a devotional entitled “Eternal Education.” He and his family live in Oakdale, Minnesota.