Customer Reviews

In Plain Sight (Mira Romantic Suspense)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I normally like Tara Taylor Quinn's books, but this one was sorely lacking in chemistry. The premise was a little shaky to begin with. DA tries to prosecute a suspected member of a white supremecist group while hoping to adopt a former child defendent and wondering whether she should get involved with her hunky neighbor. At times the romance seems forced and rather unrealistic (Whar woman would let a man she barely knew into her house so she could cry on his shoulder? And why would she let a man who writes economics textbooks make sure her house was secure from supposed terrorists???)

This novel went up and down in terms of the plot and characters truly engaging the reader. Jan, the MC is pretty generic, even with her crazy dreams and stressful job, so it's the rest of the cast that carry this book, especially Hailey and Simon.

The plot interested me since I grew up near a large white supremacist group in northern Idaho. Once the story starts its descent into the end, the Ivory Nation comes out as the true monsters that they are.

Jan ate a star on this one.

Driven prosecutor Janet McNeil has been trying for 5 years to bring down Jacob Hall, whom she believes is a member of Ivory Nation, a white supremicist group in Arizona, while she deals with debilitating nightmares and works to adopt a child she initially had to prosecute for stealing when she (the child) was very young. Her next door neighbor, Simon Green, appears at first glance to be a writer; however, it turns out he is former FBI with a painful past he is trying to escape. Janet's brother, Johnny, reappears in Janet's life after a long period in which he has been less than accessible and tries to talk her out of continuing the case. Janet's mother commits suicide . . . or does she? These are just a few of the many strings running through this well crafted novel - all of which Ms. Quinn carefully weaves into a terrific tapestry of suspense and terror. The title of the piece is an interesting choice - showing that the faces that people present are very rarely what they seem to be. Not only is the writing terrific, but Ms. Quinn also apparently employs a terrific copy editor, as this book was not full of the spelling and grammatical mistakes that so mar many modern books. The only obvious mistake I could find was that in one place it is said that in Arizona citizens can carry concealed guns as long as they (meaning, apparently, the weapons) are registered, while elsewhere it is mentioned that a concealed carry permit is necessary. Now I'll be up nights if I don't find out which is true! A very small amount of romance does not detract from the plot, making this a great choice for those who prefer the suspense/thriller aspect over the romance. All in all, I must say I was very impressed and plan to look for more books by this terrific author.

In Arizona Chief Prosecutor Janet McNeil offers twenty-two years old white supremacist Jacob Hall one deal or face potentially thirty years behind bars; she demands he give her names. Places and dates that would enable the State to get Bobby Donahue and his leaders that run Ivory Nation. A calm Jacob smiles and gives her the finger before walking back to his cell.

Not long after the failed plea bargaining and the subsequent court appearance, Jan becomes the target of stalking and harassment. She assumes that minions of Ivory nation are using tactics to scare her off. Though she hides the fear in her stomach, she knows the hate mongers are impacting her especially when her past surfaces. Thus she relishes that her next door neighbor former FBI Agent turned writer Simon Green keeps an eye on her. He has his reasons, one being he is attracted to the no-nonsense attorney while the other being he understands from personal his own experience the need to stop the dangerous hate bullies.

This tense romantic suspense thriller showcases how much harm racial hatred can do to innocent people. The action-packed story line is character driven as the lead pair hides their fears, but as the heat rises from the enemy, they struggle to survive. A subplot involving a little (perhaps too precocious) girl adds depth to a strong tale in which Tara Taylor Quinn makes a strong argument that the whole of hate crimes is greater than the individual parts as these cause much more damage to the psyche of society than the act itself.

Harriet Klausner