I am honestly shocked and appalled at the 4.46 rating this book has. It is truly awful. I only gave it two stars (instead of one) because the mystery was vaguely interesting, and my daughter read parts of it aloud, allowing me to release endorphins as I chortled at the absolutely horrible writing, so it has entertainment value.
First, the male lead, Cole, is not just a doctor. And he’s not just one who has sacrificially decided to live in a very tiny town to treat children. He is also ex military. And not just military, but special forces because he was a Ranger. And even though he was a doctor in the military, he is somehow an expert marksman. And he can fly a helicopter. And he owns the helicopter and flies all over to rescue people. And none of this is ever explained. But the author pays so much attention to detail, I know what he feeds his dog, and how he shaves.
And then there’s the female lead, Izzy, who is overwhelmingly foolish. She frequently runs headlong into danger without backup or a real plan. I found her very frustrating.
After being shot in the shoulder, and having surgery to repair the muscle damage, the very next day she is out in the desert, chasing bad guys and shooting her gun. She is constantly “dizzy with pain” or “leaning against the rock for support as she ignores the pain” or “pushing down the pain” or “lightheaded with pain”… but the reality is after that kind of injury she wouldn’t be physically able to chase bad guys, let alone aim her weapon and fire with any accuracy. It is ridiculous.
Also, the bad guy was clearly the bad guy from the moment he entered the story. Izzy‘s inability to see it simply makes her look idiotic, and it makes the play out boring.
Here are some quotes for posterity:
“Izzy pulled into a spot marked *visitor* and killed the engine.” (Of her Tesla. Has Zara Evans ever been in an electric car?)
“When the moment felt right, he reached into the cooler and pulled out two Cokes. He opened one and offered it to her. She studied him for a long moment, that analytical gaze he was coming to know, before accepting the soda. He opened his own, and they clinked bottles in a wordless toast before drinking.… “Do you come here often?” Izzy asked brushing crumbs from her lap. “About once a month since I found it.” Cole took another pull from his beer.… [She asks who he comes here with.] “Your dog?” Amusement crept into her voice. “You bring your dog up here?”
“Sure. He loves it.”
“In the helicopter?”
He nodded as he took a pull on his soda.… Izzy finished her soda, the empty bottle clinking as she set it down.
Cole reached into the cooler. “Another? Or I’ve got beer if you prefer.”
“Beer sounds good.” She glanced at him. “Will you join me?”
“No can-do.” Cole pulled out a bottle and handed it to her. “Flying and alcohol is a no-no, Sheriff.”
(Did anyone read this book before it was published? Coke - beer - soda - no beer, all in one page.)
“Cole gripped the roll cage as they bounced across flat, featureless ground.” (He’s ex military, special forces, but that flat ground was sure scary.)
“Cole pushed up from his chair and pressed his lips to hers. The sharp tang of iodine filled his senses, embedding this moment in his memory, like a lesson carved in stone. He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, their noses still touching.” (I’m sorry, but what does this even mean?)
“You’re not going to like this,” [Dylan] Pickett warned. “Check your email.”
Cole brought up the data Dylan had sent through. As he perused it Dylan explained what he was seeing.… Cole’s finger traced down the list on the screen as his colleague spoke.… Cole’s stomach clenched. He knew these chemicals.… Matthews nodded. (OK people. There is no one in the entire book named Matthews. What is happening here?) “Exactly. Someone’s dumping their waste into that water source”…. Cole tossed over the test results, his mind already racing ahead to implications.… (He tossed them over? To Matthews? Like, he threw his laptop at a nonexistent character?) “Thanks for the rush job.”Cole hit print on his computer. “Now I owe you one.”
The story is simply not so good that I wasn’t distracted by terrible writing and glaring errors. It was obviously interesting enough to plenty of people, but the execution is sloppy.