Thought Provoking
In this thirteenth installment of the Rachel Hatch series by L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea, our protagonist finds herself in Riverton, Texas, a rustic town with fewer than 3,000 residents.
Hatch arrives to fulfill a promise to Kyle Bishop: informing his sister Emily that he's still alive, regardless of what reports she might hear. After delivering this cryptic message, Hatch prepares to leave, but suddenly finds herself stranded when the power goes out and her Jeep won't start.
It quickly becomes clear that nothing electronic works in Riverton - no phones, vehicles, or communications equipment. A former physics professor explains this is likely the result of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Meanwhile, in a parallel storyline, a company CEO with the technology to prevent such attacks is working with a powerful individual to demonstrate how easily an EMP could devastate the country.
As Hatch investigates, she discovers the town's electric substation had been deliberately shut down before the EMP strike, suggesting a calculated plan. The engineer responsible for the substation's maintenance has mysteriously disappeared. Tension escalates when a drone appears over the town, eventually crashing into the only working vehicle and causing widespread damage.
Drawing on her military background Hatch works to resolve the crisis, ultimately leading to several arrests. Once the situation is under control, she departs to continue her mission of helping those in need.
Ryan and Shea have crafted another action-packed thriller that kept me awake all night, turning pages and guessing until the very end. The scenario they present is disturbingly plausible, leaving me wondering if such an attack could actually happen in real life.
Fans of the series will be pleased to know that the next book, "Faultline," is scheduled for release in summer 2025.
5/5 stars for this gripping, high-stakes addition to the Rachel Hatch series.