When the unit is called upon to locate a young girl who has been abducted, it brings back painful memories for Hank. She must use her wits, her special talents, and the help of the unit's psychiatrist, "Doc Andy", to break the suspect who has vowed not to speak until all charges against him are dropped.
Peggy de Gennes has been missing for a week when the FBI tasks the team with finding her, far longer than a kidnapped child usually is found alive. Even Hank, who has already investigated two kidnappings during her career in law enforcement, realizes that the mission may be one of recovery, not of rescue. But she admonishes herself to continue to hope. How will she get the suspect to reveal where Peggy is when he continues to refuse to say a word?
Anne Fox is an author (obviously), firearms instructor, former flight instructor, and holds degrees in music and biochemistry/molecular biology. She currently spends her time writing, traveling, and participating in marksmanship competitions.
Living in the desert Southwest city of El Paso, Texas, she draws heavily from her own experiences and past travels while accompanying a husband in the military to bring life to her stories. She enjoys traveling and seeing what the United States has to offer while based out of her travel trailer.
Her non-human friends include two Maine Coon cats (Sigwan and Hebert), a flock of chickens that lay blue eggs, and a pond full of goldfish. She also participates in El Paso's Community Cats program by caring for a colony of feral cats. She enjoys a host of hobbies which she also draws from for her books: rockhounding, gardening, jewelry-making, beadwork, silk flower arranging, and other crafts.
I read this book over to do some minor editing and give the interior a new look as well as update the information within the book on books of The Unit series. The series has expanded quite a bit since this book was written.
The tale of the search for a kidnapped 11-year-old girl serves to put Hank under unusual stress as she recalls both a failure to find a kidnapped girl alive while she was in the FBI and the failure to find another before she was molested during her earlier time in the unit. When the suspect refuses to disclose the whereabouts of the kidnapped girl unless all charges against him are dropped, she resorts to using one of her special talents. Can she get him to reveal the location where he has hidden the girl before the girl dies?
In this book, the Unit is called upon when conventional police efforts run into a roadblock that hobbles an urgent rescue effort. The clock becomes the enemy as much as the bad guys, and the race against time will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Not only will the great storyline grab you, but the insights into human nature that also crop up in the plot will stay with you. Hank's keen observational skills and role-playing particularly stand out.
In addition, people who are aware of the stresses inherent in the group dynamics of elite law enforcement units will appreciate the tension-relieving tactics that the team members use to maintain their cutting edge, and laugh alongside them!