Fugitive Family
Grade : B-

That powerless feeling of being accused of something you didn't do is frightening. After all, people don't live their lives planning how to defend themselves in the face of wrongful accusation and proving that negative creates a riveting backdrop for more than a few romantic suspense and mystery novels. Though Fugitive Family has its weaker spots, the author succeeds in bringing the nightmarish scenario to life.

Six months before the story opened, Alexander Cooke had a very good job as an assistant bank manager in Kansas and a happy life with his wife and young daughter. However, a bank robbery in which a guard at his bank lost his life turned Alex's world upside down. For reasons made very plausible in the story, police suspect Alex in the robbery as well as in the disappearance of his wife. Alex knows investigators do not believe his protestations of innocence, so he does the only thing he thinks he can. He disappears.

As Greg Bond, he settles in Nebraska with his daughter. He enrolls her in school and takes a construction job. He tries not to allow others to grow too close, but he works among a rather friendly crew and they tease him about his daughter's pretty teacher, Lisa Jacoby. It all comes to a head dramatically at the opening of the book when Greg hears of the discovery of his wife's body on the radio. Ill at the news, but unable to tell his coworkers the true reason for his condition, he leaves work early. On his way out, he hits Lisa's car in the parking lot.

Though it's not the most auspicious meeting, Lisa feels oddly drawn to Greg. In her mind, she questions being drawn to someone she barely knows, but emotionally, it just happens. And indeed, their courtship just seems to happen naturally. Things develop rather slowly, and much happens over church softball games with friends and day-to-day life at school with Greg's daughter. Whenever mention of the recent discovery of the body of Greg's wife comes up, the reader cannot help feeling a little jolted by the reminder of just how brief Greg's period of mourning has been. However, this did not bother me as much as it may some readers because the author makes the emotions between Greg and Lisa feel so real.

The suspense plot feels realistic - almost overwhelmingly so at times - as well. The author manages to work into the text a number of small details Greg must observe in order to keep his secret and it shows just how deeply his charade has to penetrate his life. For example, Greg's daughter falls ill at one point in the story and mention is made of how terrifying the idea of having to take her to the doctor is. The need for Greg to keep his real identity under wraps while he tries to find information to clear his name makes his slow process of opening up to Lisa while trying not to blow his cover even more emotional. After all, he has much to lose.

As a new schoolteacher in a new town, Lisa has her own insecurities. She has no idea about Greg's true identity and tends to equivocate on whether to trust him or to check up on him because of this. In addition to finding love with Greg, Lisa also finds a good friend in her new town and some of the scenes showing her and Greg interacting with friends are very effective and make the leads seem more human. The suspense plot finds a rather rushed resolution, and the revelation of Greg's secrets is a touch less emotional than it probably should have been, but I still enjoyed the book.

If you enjoy romantic suspense, you might want to give Fugitive Family a try. Though it has some weaker aspects as mentioned above, it's still a good read. The author does a good job of building a suspense tale puzzle piece by puzzle piece, and this one definitely has its creepy moments as the story takes hold in the imagination.

Reviewed by Lynn Spencer
Grade : B-

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : September 1, 2009

Publication Date: 2009

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Lynn Spencer

I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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