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Operation #4
Flown Into the Arms of Angels: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Unsung Heroes of 9/11
This book is about Newfoundland and Labrador’s response following 9/11. For the first time, Mac Moss tells the stories of people across the entire province—from Stephenville to Gander, to Goose Bay and St. John's—who pitched in and helped approximately 13,000 stranded passengers in 2001 after terrorist attacks in the United States changed the world forever. He has interviewed municipal and service organization leaders of that time, former airport personnel, members of the RCMP and Canadian Red Cross, educators, clergy, and many others who volunteered to give the passengers shelter, food, laundry, and love. This book captures true accounts that, until now, have never been told. Read about professionalism, dedication, laughter, caring, and grief as told by those who made this remarkable story happen. All of these individuals are heroes who have not yet been recognized. This is their story."Let us say that all the folks of Newfoundland made at least 204 ambassadors out of all of us on US Airways Flight 27. We love all of you, and we will come up for more of your home-cooked love and affection.” ~ Justin and Christyl B., Pittsburgh"The Lord took care of us throughout the entire journey. He brought us to one of the most beautiful places on earth, and He provided ‘angels’ to take care of us.” ~ Amy and Chris Prideaux, passengers hosted in St. John’s“We had nothing, and they gave us everything!” ~ John Chips, passenger on US Air Flight 741“They are the gold standard of humanity.” ~ David Korpan
598 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2021
22 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 29, 2022
4.5 stars Read on my Kindle.
Many thanks to GoodReads friend Matt who alerted me to a new book by acclaimed Newfoundland author Helen C. Escott. I loved her first two Operation Wormwood thrillers featuring Sgt. Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. There were unique, mysterious, and unlike anything I had ever read.
Her next book was the police procedural, Operation Vanished. This was a complex investigation operated by the RCMP in the same time frame as Operation Wormwood was being executed. This compelling story featured rooky Mountie, Corporal Gail McNaughtan, who was assigned cold case files involving missing and murdered women in rural Newfoundland that dated back to the 1950s.
Operation Trafficked is gritty, thrilling, intense, fast-paced, and well-researched. It involves young women who have been kidnapped from countries outside of Canada, moved from place to place to be enslaved, tortured, and forced to become sex workers. They learn this is a multi-billion dollar business carried out by biker gangs under the orders of organized crime. It also involves local youngsters often sold on the domestic market through the internet. Sex trafficking is often not investigated as its victims are misunderstood and undervalued, and authority figures usually protect the criminal activity. The victim's story is told with much sympathy and compassion.
After a 16-year-old European girl is found murdered during a convention at a downtown hotel in St. John's, Myra and McNaughtan join forces to investigate women being sold on world markets, moved frequently, abused, tortured, and unable to escape. The joint force is trying to solve the murder at the hotel and free and protect a distraught pregnant woman who wants to escape her torturer, her forced profession, and return home but feels this would put her entire family in danger. Myra, McNaughtan, and colleagues become aware of a 7-year old girl being sold across the border to an American pedophile that her vicious mother met online.
Can they save and free any of the victims of sex trafficking? Will any of those criminally involved, be brought to justice? This was an emotional, gripping, suspenseful, and informative journey into the disturbing world of sex trafficking.
Many thanks to GoodReads friend Matt who alerted me to a new book by acclaimed Newfoundland author Helen C. Escott. I loved her first two Operation Wormwood thrillers featuring Sgt. Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. There were unique, mysterious, and unlike anything I had ever read.
Her next book was the police procedural, Operation Vanished. This was a complex investigation operated by the RCMP in the same time frame as Operation Wormwood was being executed. This compelling story featured rooky Mountie, Corporal Gail McNaughtan, who was assigned cold case files involving missing and murdered women in rural Newfoundland that dated back to the 1950s.
Operation Trafficked is gritty, thrilling, intense, fast-paced, and well-researched. It involves young women who have been kidnapped from countries outside of Canada, moved from place to place to be enslaved, tortured, and forced to become sex workers. They learn this is a multi-billion dollar business carried out by biker gangs under the orders of organized crime. It also involves local youngsters often sold on the domestic market through the internet. Sex trafficking is often not investigated as its victims are misunderstood and undervalued, and authority figures usually protect the criminal activity. The victim's story is told with much sympathy and compassion.
After a 16-year-old European girl is found murdered during a convention at a downtown hotel in St. John's, Myra and McNaughtan join forces to investigate women being sold on world markets, moved frequently, abused, tortured, and unable to escape. The joint force is trying to solve the murder at the hotel and free and protect a distraught pregnant woman who wants to escape her torturer, her forced profession, and return home but feels this would put her entire family in danger. Myra, McNaughtan, and colleagues become aware of a 7-year old girl being sold across the border to an American pedophile that her vicious mother met online.
Can they save and free any of the victims of sex trafficking? Will any of those criminally involved, be brought to justice? This was an emotional, gripping, suspenseful, and informative journey into the disturbing world of sex trafficking.
December 30, 2022
While there are many authors who can write police procedurals, Helen C. Escott takes it to a new level, and does so from a Canadian (read: Newfoundland) perspective. Her novels are both well-crafted and very detailed, while keeping the reader hooked with sensational crimes. Escott pulls on her past experience and adds a writing ability like few I have come across, keeping the Canadiana subtle enough that anyone the word over could easily enjoy this book without feeling clueless. I cannot say enough about Helen C. Escott and hope other readers will discover her work, sure to add her to their ‘must read’ list.
When a teenage girl turns up murdered in a downtown St. John’s hotel, all clues point to a victim of human trafficking. Sergeant Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Corporal Gail McNaughton of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been working different angles on trafficking across the province and find themselves on a Joint Forces investigation to solve this case and hopefully help neutralise trafficking pathways. Myra and McNaughton are not sure they will be able to stymie this multi-billion dollar business, but they have a victim before them and hopes of bringing closure to her short life.
After having a third officer seconded to them—Constable Colleen Royal— Myra and McNaughton begin trying to piece together where this teen came from and who might have visited her on the evening of her death. While there are some seedy businesses in town, none have women who admit to being trafficked or held against their will. This only makes the investigation all the more difficult, but no one is ready to toss in the towel just yet.
The Joint Task Force uncover a complex system of getting girls from all corners of the globe and bringing them to Canada, where they are brainwashed into thinking that this is a luxurious life, while there are undertones of threats should anyone try to escape or speak out against their captors. Myra and Royal work some angles, as McNaughton seeks to nail the local owners of a massage parlour, who may be a puppet front for bikers and even the Russian mob. All the while, McNaughton has some personal stresses piled onto her already overflowing plate.
At one point, the team is informed that a seven-year-old local girl is being offered up for sale in the United States, with a mother eager to get cash for her offspring. Child pornography, sexual slaves, and horrible abuse, all taking place under the noses of everyday citizens, sicken all three officers, though they cannot relent, for fear that another vulnerable person will fall prey to these horrible men who have recreated a slave industry in the modern world. A chilling story that is sure to leave the reading in awe and yet fixated to learning how things will progress. Escott proves her mettle yet again!
As I mentioned before, there is something about Helen C. Escott’s writing that really pulls me in. It may be her superior ability when it comes to police procedurals, or the Canadian flavouring that I have rarely found when I read this genre, or even the depth to which the topics on hand are discussed. Whatever it is, Escott has a sensational ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat through the storytelling process. I can only hope others find her work and enjoy the Newfoundland perspective as refreshing as I have.
Escott pulls the reader in from the opening pages with a strong narrative flow. The direction points the reader towards a story that is darker than many, but needs to be to get its point across. Pulling on some strong characters from past novels that many of Escott’s fans will have come to know, the development within the story leaves the reader feeling as though they know McNaughton, Myra, and even Royal a little better. The development of the plot throughout leaves the reader uncomfortable, but in a way that is needed to be impactful. Escott’s past in law enforcement has likely put her in contact with the world of human trafficking, which is why things are so detailed and intense. While the topic is surely one many might shy from, it is this awkwardness that makes reading about it all the more necessary. I love each of Helen C. Escott’s novels for their own merits and al eager to get my hands on her next novel, sure to be just as impactful.
Kudos, Madam Escott, for a look into the dark world of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. I could not put the book down, while also being disgusted by some of the antics portrayed within its pages.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
When a teenage girl turns up murdered in a downtown St. John’s hotel, all clues point to a victim of human trafficking. Sergeant Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Corporal Gail McNaughton of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been working different angles on trafficking across the province and find themselves on a Joint Forces investigation to solve this case and hopefully help neutralise trafficking pathways. Myra and McNaughton are not sure they will be able to stymie this multi-billion dollar business, but they have a victim before them and hopes of bringing closure to her short life.
After having a third officer seconded to them—Constable Colleen Royal— Myra and McNaughton begin trying to piece together where this teen came from and who might have visited her on the evening of her death. While there are some seedy businesses in town, none have women who admit to being trafficked or held against their will. This only makes the investigation all the more difficult, but no one is ready to toss in the towel just yet.
The Joint Task Force uncover a complex system of getting girls from all corners of the globe and bringing them to Canada, where they are brainwashed into thinking that this is a luxurious life, while there are undertones of threats should anyone try to escape or speak out against their captors. Myra and Royal work some angles, as McNaughton seeks to nail the local owners of a massage parlour, who may be a puppet front for bikers and even the Russian mob. All the while, McNaughton has some personal stresses piled onto her already overflowing plate.
At one point, the team is informed that a seven-year-old local girl is being offered up for sale in the United States, with a mother eager to get cash for her offspring. Child pornography, sexual slaves, and horrible abuse, all taking place under the noses of everyday citizens, sicken all three officers, though they cannot relent, for fear that another vulnerable person will fall prey to these horrible men who have recreated a slave industry in the modern world. A chilling story that is sure to leave the reading in awe and yet fixated to learning how things will progress. Escott proves her mettle yet again!
As I mentioned before, there is something about Helen C. Escott’s writing that really pulls me in. It may be her superior ability when it comes to police procedurals, or the Canadian flavouring that I have rarely found when I read this genre, or even the depth to which the topics on hand are discussed. Whatever it is, Escott has a sensational ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat through the storytelling process. I can only hope others find her work and enjoy the Newfoundland perspective as refreshing as I have.
Escott pulls the reader in from the opening pages with a strong narrative flow. The direction points the reader towards a story that is darker than many, but needs to be to get its point across. Pulling on some strong characters from past novels that many of Escott’s fans will have come to know, the development within the story leaves the reader feeling as though they know McNaughton, Myra, and even Royal a little better. The development of the plot throughout leaves the reader uncomfortable, but in a way that is needed to be impactful. Escott’s past in law enforcement has likely put her in contact with the world of human trafficking, which is why things are so detailed and intense. While the topic is surely one many might shy from, it is this awkwardness that makes reading about it all the more necessary. I love each of Helen C. Escott’s novels for their own merits and al eager to get my hands on her next novel, sure to be just as impactful.
Kudos, Madam Escott, for a look into the dark world of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. I could not put the book down, while also being disgusted by some of the antics portrayed within its pages.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
February 11, 2023
It is possible to get away with murder if you kill people whose lives are already devalued by society.
Operation Trafficked was not an easy book to read, nor should it be. Sergeant Nicholas Myra, Corporal Gail McNaughton, and Constable Colleen Royal join forces to dive into the $28 billion dollar business of human trafficking. They quickly learn it’s not the oldest profession but the oldest form of oppression. At one point, they also find out about a seven-year-old local girl being offered up for sale in the United States, by her mother.
Ms. Escott does a superb job at providing insight into the backstories of each child and/or teenager, drawing the reader into the plight of each of the female characters and elevating them to real people deserving of our empathy and support. The story twists and turns to an ending that offers satisfaction but reminds us that victories are small and incomplete in this dark environment.
As I said, not an easy book to read but one that every person alive needs to read!
Operation Trafficked was not an easy book to read, nor should it be. Sergeant Nicholas Myra, Corporal Gail McNaughton, and Constable Colleen Royal join forces to dive into the $28 billion dollar business of human trafficking. They quickly learn it’s not the oldest profession but the oldest form of oppression. At one point, they also find out about a seven-year-old local girl being offered up for sale in the United States, by her mother.
Ms. Escott does a superb job at providing insight into the backstories of each child and/or teenager, drawing the reader into the plight of each of the female characters and elevating them to real people deserving of our empathy and support. The story twists and turns to an ending that offers satisfaction but reminds us that victories are small and incomplete in this dark environment.
As I said, not an easy book to read but one that every person alive needs to read!
September 19, 2021
I got to page 50 and just couldn't take the continuous preaching about seemingly all men being bad or evil. A lawyer, a cleric, and a city councilor walk into a sex parlour at lunch under the watch of a task force is more of a bad joke than fodder for a book. Does it happen, of course, but the way it is presented is just bad taste. The author's bias and simplistic look at human trafficking are spouting questionable bordering on sensationalized research material rather than story building and is throwing a dash of pedophilia in there to boot. The characters are one dimensional and this just isn't working for me nor do I truly appreciate them or the job they have to do (which I'm sure in real life is quite difficult because I'm married to a cop). The first 50 pages the characters were talking what was clearly author research at each other. I do understand that there is certain subject matter that must be adhered to for the book but in this case, it wasn't meeting the mark. I skipped ahead to the ending to see if it had gotten better but it didn't. I believe the author is trying to highlight the plight of the oppressed of the sex trade, and kudos for that. However, the manner in which it is done, ivory-toweresk doesn't work for me. I wasn't engaged enough to see if it got better. Sorry, I had hopes for a great read but couldn't continue the male-bashing which took over the scenes. Even poor Sgt. Myra was uncomfortable with it and had to defend himself.
September 5, 2023
Helen Escott’s novel Operation Trafficked [Flanker Press] is a disturbing book.
And that’s a good thing, Martha.
Cesar A. Cruz — whoever he might be; an activist of some sort, I believe, is credited with saying, “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.”
Operation Trafficked fits the definition, the latter part to a T. The book’s narrative is a disconcerting story about sex trafficking. In Newfoundland, for frig sake!
Shame on me, this book has been lodged on my read-someday-maybe shelf for a couple of years, since shortly after it was published.
Several mornings ago, I finally selected it from the litter (Missus says that — “Harry, my duck, look at the litter of books in that bookcase.”) of unread books, hove myself down into the comfort of my Lay-Z-Boy and commenced to read.
I was there for the rest of the day. The story enthralled me so much that I even cranked my recliner into an upright position to prevent an afternoon nap from ambushing me, as is often the case.
The more I read the more disturbed I became. B’ys, could this stuff I was reading about really be happening in Newfoundland?
What stuff?
Trafficking of girls and women in the sex trade, for frig sake.
Physical abuse. Torture. Beatings. Murder.
It made me stomach sick.
The story line: Sgt. Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and Cpl. Gail McNaughton of the RCMP and their team are investigating the murder of Lena Kaminski, a girl enslaved in the sex trade, a girl murdered during a convention in St. John’s. They are also attempting to prevent the reprehensible Judy Miller from dragging her nine-year-old daughter, Emma, already a victim of child pornography, off to the States where further abuse awaits.
I know it’s fiction, but…
Judy, Emma in tow, attempts to board the Marine Atlantic in Argentia. B’ys, that’s just down the road from our house, a place where Missus and I take relaxing evening drives to look at the boats, sometimes to watch the ferry sail.
Even imagining such cruelty happening so close to home turns my stomach.
Sour stomach notwithstanding, interesting secondary characters in a story settle my roiling guts. In this case Maisie Murphy, the cleaning lady at slimeball Sammy Serpent’s — get this — Happy Endings Adult Massage Parlour. Mind you, Maisie is no fragile hot house flower. She has her thorns — poisonous ones. God love ‘er, thorns and all.
Disturbed as I am regarding the subject matter of this book there is the flip side to consider — art must comfort the disturbed. This novel offers some comfort — albeit small — to the disturbed.
Victims of sex trade trafficking, and their families, should know there are people, law-enforcement personnel, as well as some like the improbable Maisie Murphy, who are doing their level best to protect the innocent and fight the evil sons-a-bitches who prey on vulnerable women.
Operation Trafficking also makes lazybones like me get off their arses, and disturbed or not, wake up to some of the inhumanity festering in our province’s darkest shadows.
So b’ys, keep watchful eyes on your children — your daughters, your granddaughters — and if you see some scumbag yahoo victimizing them — even in the slightest — find yourself a hefty piece of 2 x 4 and give them a good shit-knockin’.
Thank you for reading.
And that’s a good thing, Martha.
Cesar A. Cruz — whoever he might be; an activist of some sort, I believe, is credited with saying, “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.”
Operation Trafficked fits the definition, the latter part to a T. The book’s narrative is a disconcerting story about sex trafficking. In Newfoundland, for frig sake!
Shame on me, this book has been lodged on my read-someday-maybe shelf for a couple of years, since shortly after it was published.
Several mornings ago, I finally selected it from the litter (Missus says that — “Harry, my duck, look at the litter of books in that bookcase.”) of unread books, hove myself down into the comfort of my Lay-Z-Boy and commenced to read.
I was there for the rest of the day. The story enthralled me so much that I even cranked my recliner into an upright position to prevent an afternoon nap from ambushing me, as is often the case.
The more I read the more disturbed I became. B’ys, could this stuff I was reading about really be happening in Newfoundland?
What stuff?
Trafficking of girls and women in the sex trade, for frig sake.
Physical abuse. Torture. Beatings. Murder.
It made me stomach sick.
The story line: Sgt. Nicholas Myra of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and Cpl. Gail McNaughton of the RCMP and their team are investigating the murder of Lena Kaminski, a girl enslaved in the sex trade, a girl murdered during a convention in St. John’s. They are also attempting to prevent the reprehensible Judy Miller from dragging her nine-year-old daughter, Emma, already a victim of child pornography, off to the States where further abuse awaits.
I know it’s fiction, but…
Judy, Emma in tow, attempts to board the Marine Atlantic in Argentia. B’ys, that’s just down the road from our house, a place where Missus and I take relaxing evening drives to look at the boats, sometimes to watch the ferry sail.
Even imagining such cruelty happening so close to home turns my stomach.
Sour stomach notwithstanding, interesting secondary characters in a story settle my roiling guts. In this case Maisie Murphy, the cleaning lady at slimeball Sammy Serpent’s — get this — Happy Endings Adult Massage Parlour. Mind you, Maisie is no fragile hot house flower. She has her thorns — poisonous ones. God love ‘er, thorns and all.
Disturbed as I am regarding the subject matter of this book there is the flip side to consider — art must comfort the disturbed. This novel offers some comfort — albeit small — to the disturbed.
Victims of sex trade trafficking, and their families, should know there are people, law-enforcement personnel, as well as some like the improbable Maisie Murphy, who are doing their level best to protect the innocent and fight the evil sons-a-bitches who prey on vulnerable women.
Operation Trafficking also makes lazybones like me get off their arses, and disturbed or not, wake up to some of the inhumanity festering in our province’s darkest shadows.
So b’ys, keep watchful eyes on your children — your daughters, your granddaughters — and if you see some scumbag yahoo victimizing them — even in the slightest — find yourself a hefty piece of 2 x 4 and give them a good shit-knockin’.
Thank you for reading.
Read
August 29, 2021This is her best book yet. Fast-paced, realistic, compelling; hard to put down. 5 Stars!
September 26, 2021
4.5 excellent book.
Can’t wait for the next one by this author. Loved Operation Wormwood, The Reckoning and Operation Vanished. Well done!
Can’t wait for the next one by this author. Loved Operation Wormwood, The Reckoning and Operation Vanished. Well done!
September 28, 2021
Another awesome crime thriller by Helen Escott! This was probably her best!
July 2, 2025
September 11,2001 is a day that if you you were alive then you will never forget. While New York, Washington and rural Pennsylvania were dealing with a terrorist attack here in Newfoundland we were welcoming 75 planes that carried thousands of passengers. 38 in Gander alone.
This book gives a very detailed and accurate account of how Gander prepared for all of those passengers arriving, when they arrived and afterwards. This is not like Come From Away or any other book detailing the events that took place in Gander on that dreadful day.
I was 19, almost 20 when this horrific event happened. I remember hearing the news and then watching the news regarding the events happening in Gander and in nearby communities. Listening to local officials discussing what was happening there yet after reading this book. There was alot of behind the scenes information I did not know.
If you really want to know the ins and outs of 9/11 and afterwards. As well as learning new things. I suggest reading this book. Max Moss did an incredible job writing this book
This book gives a very detailed and accurate account of how Gander prepared for all of those passengers arriving, when they arrived and afterwards. This is not like Come From Away or any other book detailing the events that took place in Gander on that dreadful day.
I was 19, almost 20 when this horrific event happened. I remember hearing the news and then watching the news regarding the events happening in Gander and in nearby communities. Listening to local officials discussing what was happening there yet after reading this book. There was alot of behind the scenes information I did not know.
If you really want to know the ins and outs of 9/11 and afterwards. As well as learning new things. I suggest reading this book. Max Moss did an incredible job writing this book
August 23, 2022
A fantastic crime thriller! I loved it! It was so nice to read a local author's work and understand the places in the book. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're an NL'er. I read it in a day and couldn't put it down. I will definitely be reading Helen's other books too.
December 12, 2021
My full review is in the December edition of the Northeast Avalon Times, and will make its way here eventually. She's getting better with each book, as characters gain some depth. This novel should come with trigger warnings.
November 13, 2021
“Operation Trafficked” is a fast paced, no holds barred thriller that lays bare the seedy underworld of sex trafficking and underaged girls. It is at times difficult and confronting to read. Escott does not tiptoe around the subject – we are presented with cold hard facts yet she puts a face to the statistics, its not just numbers, its not just data. These are daughters, sisters, little girls – and some are never seen again.
When a sixteen-year-old girl is found murdered in a hotel room it sets off a series of events that brings together Sgt. Nicholas Myra (from Operation Wormwood) and Cpl. Gail McNaughton (from Operation Vanished) who join forces to not only capture the killer but to put an end to the shady practices of a local massage parlor, where young girls are brought in and forced into prostitution. Not only that, but there is also a race against time to rescue a 7-year-old girl who, accompanied by a neglectful and abusive mother, is about to be handed over to the mother’s American boyfriend, a pedophile she has met online. As a mother of two girls around those ages, it is truly terrifying and emotionally harrowing.
You will not be able to put this down because you absolutely need to know what the resolution will be. Escott does an unbelievably fantastic job stirring emotion in her readers. There was a lump in my throat and a ball of anxiety in my stomach as I read, knowing that this is so very true to life; fiction out of fact. Relentless in its pursuit of the truth, it is impossible to read this and not have it make a huge impact on how you view the world around you. With “Operation Trafficked” Escott continues to dominate the crime thriller genre.
When a sixteen-year-old girl is found murdered in a hotel room it sets off a series of events that brings together Sgt. Nicholas Myra (from Operation Wormwood) and Cpl. Gail McNaughton (from Operation Vanished) who join forces to not only capture the killer but to put an end to the shady practices of a local massage parlor, where young girls are brought in and forced into prostitution. Not only that, but there is also a race against time to rescue a 7-year-old girl who, accompanied by a neglectful and abusive mother, is about to be handed over to the mother’s American boyfriend, a pedophile she has met online. As a mother of two girls around those ages, it is truly terrifying and emotionally harrowing.
You will not be able to put this down because you absolutely need to know what the resolution will be. Escott does an unbelievably fantastic job stirring emotion in her readers. There was a lump in my throat and a ball of anxiety in my stomach as I read, knowing that this is so very true to life; fiction out of fact. Relentless in its pursuit of the truth, it is impossible to read this and not have it make a huge impact on how you view the world around you. With “Operation Trafficked” Escott continues to dominate the crime thriller genre.
March 9, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it quite interesting. It’s so hard to believe that these things are going on EVERYDAY but no ones notices and we just go on day by day. Thank goodness there are people like her characters who care and try to help. The best book yet out of her series. I couldn’t put it down.
February 26, 2022
We have all heard the story of 9/11 and the plane people that landed in Gander, but this book tells us all about the other towns in Newfoundland, as well as Gander , and the unsung heroes who did exemplary acts of kindness for these plane people. . Well done, Mac Moss. A fitting tribute to all these angels.
December 25, 2021
It was a slow start and almost went to my not worth my time when there is so much other stuff to read.
I'm glad I persisted because it was a good read as the characters developed.
I'm glad I persisted because it was a good read as the characters developed.
December 31, 2025
Very interesting book. Set in Newfoundland, full of facts about human trafficking especially in the Maritimes. Sgt. Nicholas Myra (NRC) and RCMP Cpl. Gail McNaughton are a fearsome team, supplemented by Cst. Royal who has a wicked sense of humour. Rather a sad story of ‘-napped’ children and women who live in fear and misery, but can’t leave or seek help. The pimps are the lowest of the low, and the customers are politicians, religious authorities and professionals.
The summary on the back is good: “…. modern day form of slavery, where women and girls are openly sold on the world’s markets…. sophisticated criminal organisations that operate with impunity due to vast corruption and hide in the underground hallways of power …. It’s not the oldest profession but the oldest form of oppression.”
The summary on the back is good: “…. modern day form of slavery, where women and girls are openly sold on the world’s markets…. sophisticated criminal organisations that operate with impunity due to vast corruption and hide in the underground hallways of power …. It’s not the oldest profession but the oldest form of oppression.”
March 5, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. The investigators were normal people who loved their jobs and were good at it. Human trafficking is so much more prevalent than the general population is aware. Vulnerable young girls are being forced into a life where there is no escape. The author’s love of her province of Newfoundland is evident in her descriptions of this beautiful unique province. The brutality of human trafficking , child abuse , dementia, family life , work life corruption and loss are some of the topics discussed in this book. Depressing as these topics are the author has managed to have many light and funny moments. I definitely will be reading Helen C. Escott’s other books.
February 5, 2024
This book did not disappoint! I felt every emotion reading this novel. At one point I had to take a break from reading to hug my daughters. Sometimes we don’t know how lucky we are and how quickly everything can change. This book definitely puts things in perspective. Super suspenseful and even sickening at times. I really did not know what to expect. It’s better than the Silent Patient in my opinion.
I wasn’t at all surprised when I found out the author is a former police officer. There are details in the book that had to take real experience to get thought of.
I wasn’t at all surprised when I found out the author is a former police officer. There are details in the book that had to take real experience to get thought of.
Read
March 4, 2022An amazing account of how the most vulnerable people of our society are abducted, lured, abused and trafficked throughout the world. This particular thriller actually utilizes real cases in Newfoundland and provides an eye opening account. This author, of the Operation series continues to provide a look at society that most people refuse to believe exists. Amazing writing. So can’t wait for the next book!! Keep them coming!
February 15, 2023
When I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. Helen you've kept me on the edge of my seat, page by page, chapter by chapter. It was fabulous. You have a way of letting your audience see and feel not only the victim's point of view...but also law enforcement. You are truly gifted. Thank you for this book
January 3, 2026
Really enjoyed this book. It took me a bit to get into it but then I couldn't put it down. The author kept me guessing who the killer was and I was surprised at who it was in the end. Hopefully there will be more books written around this topic as it was interesting to read. She did leave it open to possibly a continuation of the story.
April 13, 2022
This was a great read. I could not put it down. Author did a great job including the RCMP and the RNC in a joint task force. If the statistics are true, human trafficking is happening right under our noses more often than we know about. Harrowing.
April 27, 2022
I could not put this book down. It really strikes a chord that these things do happen. I felt so much emotions reading this book. You just have to know how it ends and the ending does not disappoint. I can't wait to read other books from this author.
November 1, 2022
This book delves into an area of crime that is both local and international. The author has woven in true facts about the issue, thus informing readers who are not aware of this problem. The story is well written, and is both believable and compelling.
September 19, 2025
» The truth is, It’s possible to get away with murder if you kill people whose lives are already devalued by society «
A great story about worldwide trafficking and the beneficiaries of this modern slavery - no one chooses to be sex-trafficked or to be forced into the slave trade.
A great story about worldwide trafficking and the beneficiaries of this modern slavery - no one chooses to be sex-trafficked or to be forced into the slave trade.
March 9, 2022
An eye-opening thriller that takes you into the seedy world of human trafficking. Excellent read!
June 26, 2022
Very scary to know your province is the worst in human trafficking 💔💔
December 14, 2022
It was intense, it taps into the readers emotions and possible knowledge of missing and murdered girls and women victimized by the sex slave trade.
May 7, 2023
A fantastic read!
February 27, 2024
I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was fascinating. Made me cry at the end 😢
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