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Lost-Inc. #1
Survive the Night
After losing everything, Della Jackson tries to begin again as an investigator. But she can't forget the past…and neither can someone else. Someone who won't let anyone—even Della's best friend, former special operative Paul Mason—stand in the way. As Della is stalked and those closest to her are targeted, both Della and Paul realize there's only one way to survive. They each have to face their greatest fears, overcome the scars of the past and dare to love again…before it's too late.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
29 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Hinze
103 books328 followersVicki is the USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 40 novels, 4 nonfiction books and hundreds of articles. She's recognized as an author and as an educator by Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. For seven years, she was a columnist for Social-In Global Network; before then, a radio-talk show host for Everyday Woman.
The former VP for International Thriller Writers, consultant to the RWA Board of Directors, and a consultant to multiple other writing organizations. She's a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., ALLi, and Southern Independent Booksellers Assn.
The former VP for International Thriller Writers, consultant to the RWA Board of Directors, and a consultant to multiple other writing organizations. She's a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., ALLi, and Southern Independent Booksellers Assn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 23, 2025
I enjoyed this book a lot of suspense. Della and Paul, and Wary are great characters.
April 20, 2018
This story show a women who fought a war around the world in the Middle East only to come home on emergency leave to find a husband with divorce papers and leaving her alone to plan her son's funeral. In steps a friend who will help her rebuild her life only to have her life threatened by an unknown person. These two shows each other that its okay to find happiness but it also shows them that closer will open up a new being in for each other and to bring back God in the women's life again.
October 29, 2012
This author is a great addition to the Love Inspired writers. Her first LIS book is gripping and kept me turning pages.
Lots of twists, turns, and no way you could be sure who the stalker was until the end!
Trying not to put in any spoilers here, but the ending was satisfying for the characters but WIDE OPEN for more books to come. I loved that. Life is rarely tied up in a neat bow at the end.
Had a little trouble distinguishing between Paul's sister Maggie and the Lost Inc team leader Madison-now I can see what my critiquers mean when they tell me two similar sounding names are confusing.
It also got a bit confusing with the wealth of developed characters when we're hearing about their individual stories and how they tie in with Paul and Della. But that just means I fully expect books about every single one of them!
Paul was a great guy who has strong character despite where he came from. Della has survived what no mom hopes ever to have to go through. I love characters I can respect. They don't whine, they just get on with it despite how hard it is.
Fantastic.
Lots of twists, turns, and no way you could be sure who the stalker was until the end!
Trying not to put in any spoilers here, but the ending was satisfying for the characters but WIDE OPEN for more books to come. I loved that. Life is rarely tied up in a neat bow at the end.
Had a little trouble distinguishing between Paul's sister Maggie and the Lost Inc team leader Madison-now I can see what my critiquers mean when they tell me two similar sounding names are confusing.
It also got a bit confusing with the wealth of developed characters when we're hearing about their individual stories and how they tie in with Paul and Della. But that just means I fully expect books about every single one of them!
Paul was a great guy who has strong character despite where he came from. Della has survived what no mom hopes ever to have to go through. I love characters I can respect. They don't whine, they just get on with it despite how hard it is.
Fantastic.
November 29, 2012
Somewhere between 3 1/2 and four. Pretty good for this type of book. It was a little difficult to believe [SPOILER ALERT] that two different "bad guys" would be operating at exactly the same time without any apparent coordination, but perhaps this will be resolved in the next installment of te series.
September 2, 2015
I usually enjoy the Love Inspired books, but had a difficult time getting into this new series.
April 28, 2024
Della is starting her life over as an investigator, after her life was shattered at the death of her son and divorce from her husband. She has restarted her life, but still even after 3 years since her sons death, she still is mourning and filled with guilt. The only bright light in her life is her best friend Paul. They both are fleeing from relationships and love is an area they both struggle. Yet, they trust, respect and truthfully have become accustom to the other person being in their life. When a past threat seems to be coming back to kill Della, Paul has to step up and keep her safe. As they try to uncover the person trying to kill her, they find their feelings for eachother need to be spoken... just in case they run out of time. But Della is denying her feelings for Paul, and Paul's a runner, and runs when someone gets too close. Can they come together, trust each other enough to be honest about how they feel? Can they find out who is trying to kill Della and who is to blame for the security breach at "The nest"?!
A few thoughts.... this story is deep. There is SO much info given to you about Lost inc, "The Nest" ,past criminals that may be a target, Paul's past, and Dellas. I removed one star because I think at times we spent too much time in the people's heads, pages of their thoughts and feelings but little action or dialogue at times. It was too much backstory at times which made it confusing to follow sometimes. What I did love was the chemistry between Paul and Della. Their friendship and admiration for each other. The fact that they didn't really beat around the bush about the feelings they were starting to notice. And they were honest about why they both we so reserved. I also like that this story is part of a series and therefore.... there is more than meets the eye. (No spoilers)
We leave this book knowing that more needs to be uncovered. And also that perhaps Madison and Grant need a story of their own? But we will see!
A few thoughts.... this story is deep. There is SO much info given to you about Lost inc, "The Nest" ,past criminals that may be a target, Paul's past, and Dellas. I removed one star because I think at times we spent too much time in the people's heads, pages of their thoughts and feelings but little action or dialogue at times. It was too much backstory at times which made it confusing to follow sometimes. What I did love was the chemistry between Paul and Della. Their friendship and admiration for each other. The fact that they didn't really beat around the bush about the feelings they were starting to notice. And they were honest about why they both we so reserved. I also like that this story is part of a series and therefore.... there is more than meets the eye. (No spoilers)
We leave this book knowing that more needs to be uncovered. And also that perhaps Madison and Grant need a story of their own? But we will see!
November 1, 2019
Della Jackson used to be a military woman, that is until there’s an accident at home and she comes home to find her husband serving her divorce papers at the airport and her 3 year old son dead. Years later, she’s the top investigator for Lost Inc but still stuck mourning what she lost. When the man accused of sending her the bomb that killed her little boy and injuring her then-husband is cut lose from the psych hospital, she worries her problems are going to begin again. Notes and packages start appearing at her house, bombs start going off and she’s convinced he’s back. But is it really him? Paul Mason isn’t so sure.
Paul has been Della’s friend ever since she came to Lost Inc. He has secretly been in love with her for a long time, but knew she needed space. Paul’s a smart man and gives her the space she needs, willing to wait. But when someone starts targeting her, he can’t help but get involved and attempt to shield her from harm.
All in all it was a pretty interesting book. The author does a pretty good job of making it seem like the bad guy is one person, then another, but never really revealing who it is.
I appreciate that these two characters had a great background of being friends for years. They really knew each other, for the most part, making their whirlwind romance seem quite believable. While there is some sort of marriage proposal at the end, Paul once again shows his thoughtfulness by making it a light, open ended question, a but like a joke and let’s Della tell him that someday she’ll say yes, once she has a chance to process and heal from the events of the past several years.
Paul has been Della’s friend ever since she came to Lost Inc. He has secretly been in love with her for a long time, but knew she needed space. Paul’s a smart man and gives her the space she needs, willing to wait. But when someone starts targeting her, he can’t help but get involved and attempt to shield her from harm.
All in all it was a pretty interesting book. The author does a pretty good job of making it seem like the bad guy is one person, then another, but never really revealing who it is.
I appreciate that these two characters had a great background of being friends for years. They really knew each other, for the most part, making their whirlwind romance seem quite believable. While there is some sort of marriage proposal at the end, Paul once again shows his thoughtfulness by making it a light, open ended question, a but like a joke and let’s Della tell him that someday she’ll say yes, once she has a chance to process and heal from the events of the past several years.
June 26, 2025
The Love Inspired Suspense line is often reminiscent of the Hardy Boys books I used to read, and this is a great example. There's a fast moving if sometimes over-the-top action plot, an open ending for the series (more Tom Swift than Hardy Boys, actually), and G-rated romance. The latter is one aspect of the Love Inspired series; the other is the characters have a non-denominational Christian faith, though the role of that in the story can be mild. In this case, it's not much more than you'd see in an old Simpson's episode where there's a church scene. These are all positive comments.
This is the first in a series, and there's a strong series narrative arc that makes the ending of this book not completely satisfying.
This is the first in a series, and there's a strong series narrative arc that makes the ending of this book not completely satisfying.
July 11, 2019
What an amazing story from beginning to end. Survive the Night will keep you on the edge of your seat and second guessing who the villain is throughout the entire story. Della and Paul face challenges a plenty and you can't help but cheer for them, yell at them and cry with them. I found this book at a library sale. I'm looking for the rest of this series. You can't stop on a cliff hanger and not expect me to follow. This is definitely a series worth reading!
July 29, 2022
This book should have been my cup of tea. But it was so bad! I had no idea what was going on because it was 90% dialogue and the author did not actually show anything that was happening.
Very very bad. There are many wonderful Love Inspired Suspense stories. This isn’t one of them.
Very very bad. There are many wonderful Love Inspired Suspense stories. This isn’t one of them.
July 6, 2017
Non-stop action and danger in this story! I had a hard time putting it down, but then again that happens pretty easily with a Vicki Hinze book....
March 31, 2020
That was thrilling and heartbreaking, and I am super glad my library has the next 2 books in ebook form! If you like suspense books, this is definitely one to check out.
June 21, 2020
I remember it being really good. It was, re-reading, but it was missing some oomph factor. Maybe it was because I was reading on a small, large print book? Didn't even know it was a series
March 6, 2024
A bit of injustice at the end. Book finishes on a cliffhanger encouraging readers to continue with the series.
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March 15, 2017This was a good book and I enjoyed reading it very much.
October 29, 2019
I can recommend this book as an example of good craftsmanship, though not in a vein I have much sympathy for.
It is in Harlequin’s “Love-Inspired SUSPENSE” line. (I suppose an old book like VILLAGE NURSE might have been called a “True-Love DISEASE” novel.) And the suspense line has an advantage over the older romance templates. A nurse novel provided a certain setting for the love dilemmas but potboiler thrillers give a writer resources of plot. SURVIVE THE NIGHT also benefits from being part of the author’s own series about a sort of detective agency that helps veterans, so some slightly prickly existing relationships among characters add color to the events.
Briefly: Della Jackson is an investigator who is trying to recover from the murder of one of her children. Threats and stalking begin in the small town she has retreated to. The killer of her child has disappeared from the mental institution where he had been placed and her bitter, whiny ex-husband has also dropped out of sight. One of them may be the stalker and the threats may be real. Her strongest protector is an attractive man who, she is convinced, runs away from any woman who is willing to make a serious commitment to him, and she feels too damaged to begin a new relationship. These relationship doubts always lead back into the suspense plot of finding out who is threatening Della.
Now, these days every suspense hero must carry a psychic burden, and in Della’s case, it’s a crisis in Christian faith. Faith-based romance is another subgenre, easy to make fun of, but in fact this theme tethers the stereotyped, escapist romance and thriller bits to something closer to real life.
Vicki Hinze keeps all these elements in balance. Her writing is straightforward and her plotting is basically realistic.
My own reservations are temperamental. Even good romance fiction is based on patterns that don’t appeal to me.
“Worry, for women, is entertainment,” said Mrs. Anne S. Ashenhurst, mastermind of one of the world’s first soap operas, a 1932 radio program called ‘Just Plain Bill’. She was talking about housewives of that era, left alone at home much of the day and needing some companionship centered on the domestic realm they considered their own. (See Robert Hardy Andrews’ A CORNER OF CHICAGO). The audience may be different now, but Ashenhurst still has a point.
Romance fiction has a repetitive pattern. There are scenes illustrating a relationship problem, leading to a scene in which the heroine worries about what to do, followed by more scenes illustrating the problem and maybe scenes of discussion and advice, leading to another scene of worrying that closely resembles the earlier one….Scenes of talk about emotions are the real purpose of the story and the same talk is repeated from book to book and even within a book. The true expression of a feeling, apparently, is talk about it. Maybe you only HAVE feelings by talking about them.
Hinze has written something a good deal livelier.
It is in Harlequin’s “Love-Inspired SUSPENSE” line. (I suppose an old book like VILLAGE NURSE might have been called a “True-Love DISEASE” novel.) And the suspense line has an advantage over the older romance templates. A nurse novel provided a certain setting for the love dilemmas but potboiler thrillers give a writer resources of plot. SURVIVE THE NIGHT also benefits from being part of the author’s own series about a sort of detective agency that helps veterans, so some slightly prickly existing relationships among characters add color to the events.
Briefly: Della Jackson is an investigator who is trying to recover from the murder of one of her children. Threats and stalking begin in the small town she has retreated to. The killer of her child has disappeared from the mental institution where he had been placed and her bitter, whiny ex-husband has also dropped out of sight. One of them may be the stalker and the threats may be real. Her strongest protector is an attractive man who, she is convinced, runs away from any woman who is willing to make a serious commitment to him, and she feels too damaged to begin a new relationship. These relationship doubts always lead back into the suspense plot of finding out who is threatening Della.
Now, these days every suspense hero must carry a psychic burden, and in Della’s case, it’s a crisis in Christian faith. Faith-based romance is another subgenre, easy to make fun of, but in fact this theme tethers the stereotyped, escapist romance and thriller bits to something closer to real life.
Vicki Hinze keeps all these elements in balance. Her writing is straightforward and her plotting is basically realistic.
My own reservations are temperamental. Even good romance fiction is based on patterns that don’t appeal to me.
“Worry, for women, is entertainment,” said Mrs. Anne S. Ashenhurst, mastermind of one of the world’s first soap operas, a 1932 radio program called ‘Just Plain Bill’. She was talking about housewives of that era, left alone at home much of the day and needing some companionship centered on the domestic realm they considered their own. (See Robert Hardy Andrews’ A CORNER OF CHICAGO). The audience may be different now, but Ashenhurst still has a point.
Romance fiction has a repetitive pattern. There are scenes illustrating a relationship problem, leading to a scene in which the heroine worries about what to do, followed by more scenes illustrating the problem and maybe scenes of discussion and advice, leading to another scene of worrying that closely resembles the earlier one….Scenes of talk about emotions are the real purpose of the story and the same talk is repeated from book to book and even within a book. The true expression of a feeling, apparently, is talk about it. Maybe you only HAVE feelings by talking about them.
Hinze has written something a good deal livelier.
February 26, 2015
Lost, Inc.
Book 1
In the first of three books, we meet Della Jackson who currently works for an organization who work at finding lost people. She is best friend's with a man who helped her through the most tragic events of her life - the death of her son and marriage. And he's not leaving her again when she starts being attacked.
It's interesting that we've almost stepped into the middle of the mess when the book starts. Della and Paul are very close friends, and possibly in love with each other. Della, of course, fights her feelings. Della has also been threatened and already knows someone is pursuing her. She believes her stalker is the man who murdered her son. As the story progresses, we learn of a series plot about someone leaking information about a highly confidential organization inside the military called "The Nest." People knowing about it can cause severe problems, and the government wants to know who the squealer is. All those involved in Lost, Inc. know about "The Nest," so everyone has the potential of being the squealer. I'm guessing we don't find out the "who" until the end of the third book, which makes this an exciting read and will make you want to read them in order just so you don't ruin the surprise.
There was a lot of action in this book, and the romance was believable. I liked Paul and how he tried to love Della even when she didn't want to be loved. He tried to protect her even though she obviously didn't want his help. He never gave up on her. There was a lot of romantic tension that just added to this book.
Unfortunately, this book didn't hold my excitement and attention like many of the LI books, so I did take off one star. But it's still an excellent book.
Book 1
In the first of three books, we meet Della Jackson who currently works for an organization who work at finding lost people. She is best friend's with a man who helped her through the most tragic events of her life - the death of her son and marriage. And he's not leaving her again when she starts being attacked.
It's interesting that we've almost stepped into the middle of the mess when the book starts. Della and Paul are very close friends, and possibly in love with each other. Della, of course, fights her feelings. Della has also been threatened and already knows someone is pursuing her. She believes her stalker is the man who murdered her son. As the story progresses, we learn of a series plot about someone leaking information about a highly confidential organization inside the military called "The Nest." People knowing about it can cause severe problems, and the government wants to know who the squealer is. All those involved in Lost, Inc. know about "The Nest," so everyone has the potential of being the squealer. I'm guessing we don't find out the "who" until the end of the third book, which makes this an exciting read and will make you want to read them in order just so you don't ruin the surprise.
There was a lot of action in this book, and the romance was believable. I liked Paul and how he tried to love Della even when she didn't want to be loved. He tried to protect her even though she obviously didn't want his help. He never gave up on her. There was a lot of romantic tension that just added to this book.
Unfortunately, this book didn't hold my excitement and attention like many of the LI books, so I did take off one star. But it's still an excellent book.
April 30, 2013
Love Inspired Suspense Lost Inc. Series Della/Paul/boss--Madison I have read several books in the series. It would be good to read them all at one time to follow the characters that appear in all of the books. When this one is over, I am fairly sure that the main villain has not been caught. "Blue Shoes" must be someone they know or see often. I can't figure it out! Guess I will have to wait for the next book.
Della's son was killed. The poem she uses to calm her mother's heart is quite good for any mom who has lost a child. It is printed in the book several times. I marked page 197. The poem goes like this:
"Mother, do not weep, Do not despair. Do not regret. The child now absent from your loving arms rests in arms more loving. Strong arms where no tears are shed, no sadness or struggles are borne, no illness suffered and no pain endured. Wise arms that heal and protect, foster contentment and abundant joy. Be at peace, Mother. Your child is happy, safe and content. Your child is embraced in unconditional love."
Della's son was killed. The poem she uses to calm her mother's heart is quite good for any mom who has lost a child. It is printed in the book several times. I marked page 197. The poem goes like this:
"Mother, do not weep, Do not despair. Do not regret. The child now absent from your loving arms rests in arms more loving. Strong arms where no tears are shed, no sadness or struggles are borne, no illness suffered and no pain endured. Wise arms that heal and protect, foster contentment and abundant joy. Be at peace, Mother. Your child is happy, safe and content. Your child is embraced in unconditional love."
October 14, 2012
What a great author to add to the Love Inspired series'. This is a great book! I noticed some grammatical errors through out it, but hey, I got the book for $4.75 so I really can't complain! The characters are absolutely wonderful. She has such a knack for accurately portraying how people think, what they are feeling, and why they are feeling it. She really takes you to the depths of some of their souls.
The plot line is really good, it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time. The story line isn't too predicable. If you are a writer or very well ready it could be; or you might at least guess things a bit before they are revealed in the book like I did. This is another great christian book that doesn't get cheesy like a lot of them can either.
All in all this is a very realistic, accurate, thrilling adult story line that is intriguing to the end. Definitely worth the time to read, I look forward to the next one!
The plot line is really good, it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time. The story line isn't too predicable. If you are a writer or very well ready it could be; or you might at least guess things a bit before they are revealed in the book like I did. This is another great christian book that doesn't get cheesy like a lot of them can either.
All in all this is a very realistic, accurate, thrilling adult story line that is intriguing to the end. Definitely worth the time to read, I look forward to the next one!
May 31, 2013
Why is it that when life becomes unbearable, we blame God for not being there? Grief did exactly that to Della. I loved learning who she was and her journey to understanding that God is in everything and only He know where we are supposed to land. Della's journey with finding her way back to God came through a terrible ordeal, yet she was not alone, her friends came and gathered to her to help her through the nightmare. Paul most of all, I love that Vicki gave Della a godly man to help her reach peace with the shock of loosing her son and the peace that came with discovering that God had never left her side. I received this book from bookfun.org for my honest opinion. I would recommend the entire series to everyone that loves a great suspense with love for a twist.
July 26, 2013
My retired parents & I all loved Vicki Hinze's Survive the Night as well as the rest of the Lost Incorporated series. Survive The Night had us on the edge of our seat from the beginning & I loved the character's. Della & Paul both work though their pasts as they try to keep her & those she cares for alive. Inspirational, romantic suspense at it's best.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Readers Only Group at BookFun.org in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received as a result of my review. Thank you to Fred St Laurent, BookFun.org.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Readers Only Group at BookFun.org in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received as a result of my review. Thank you to Fred St Laurent, BookFun.org.
August 31, 2012
I love the staff and authors at LoveInspired reads/books. They use all the elements to create an enjoyable, intriguing story (a little romance, Faith, and a lot of suspense and challenges). Most LoveInspired books I have read have great, but for some reason this book done nothing for me. I couldn't focus and skipped around a lot. However, because of its intriguing title and synopsis will keep the book and try again sometime. I want to give Ms Hinze another chance at another time.
October 19, 2012
In Hinze’s inspirational romantic suspense, Della Jackson is in the process of rebuilding her life after losing everything—her son and her husband. But the past isn’t easy to forget for her—or someone else. Della is being stalked and those closest to her are the targets. Her best friend, former special operative Paul Mason teams with Della to face their worst fears so they can survive what is yet to come.
An interesting installment to the Lost Inc. series.
An interesting installment to the Lost Inc. series.
April 29, 2013
"Survive the Night" by Vicki Hinze was a great book and storyline. Della Jackson, who lost everything tries to start again as an investigator. Della is being stalked and her best friend, former special operative, Paul Mason tries to protect Della. This story is about overcoming scars from the past, healing, and loving once again. I received this book for review from The Book club Network Inc. This is a great website for readers.
May 19, 2013
I received this book from Bookfun.org in exchange for my honest opinion. I really enjoyed Survive the Night. It was suspenseful from beginning to end. Each time I thought I was ready to stop reading for the night, there would be something drawing me to read just a little bit more. A very enjoyable book that makes you want to read the rest in the series.
May 14, 2021
Just finished the book "Survive The Night" by Vicki Hinze. Good, Quick, Easy read. Good topic for some extra thought, although I was unhappy with how things ended. Not a suprise considering it is part of a series.
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June 11, 2013Survive the Night by Vicki Hinze
This was so good, loads of action, really wonderful characters, spice and a great read. It's the first in a series called Lost Inc.,the next one being Christmas Count Down, which I've started, and yes, it's even better!!
This was so good, loads of action, really wonderful characters, spice and a great read. It's the first in a series called Lost Inc.,the next one being Christmas Count Down, which I've started, and yes, it's even better!!
July 5, 2016
While I appreciate Paul and Della's relationship growing over time, the choice of not revealing the name of the real stalker complicated the story too much. In general, Hinze uses too many descriptions for this novel to be effective as a mystery.
August 23, 2012
W. O. W. Very suspensful!! Twists and turns all throughout!!!!
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December 27, 2014Miniseries: Lost, Inc.
Category: Inspirational Romance
Category: Inspirational Romance
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews