MYSTERY

Hometown Vendetta

by Traci Hunter Abramson
Shadow Mountain. (Luke Steele, Bk. 1). Oct. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781639932986. $27.99. THRILLER
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When the FEMA offices in Kansas City are bombed, ostensibly by a terrorist group known as Forever Freedom, one of the victims is the best friend of FBI special agent Amberlyn Reiner. A photo of one of the suspects shows a tattooed wrist and a varsity sports ring from the Pine Falls, VA, high school where Luke Steele, Marine Corps military aide to the U.S. president, was mercilessly bullied. Luke is ordered to return to Pine Falls, ostensibly for his 15th class reunion, but really so that he and Amberlyn (as his fake girlfriend) can search for the bomber. Luke’s only friend from that time, Pastor Mosely, turns out to be ex-CIA and a great help to the investigators. Small-town secrets, hatreds, and vengeance result in several more deaths before the bomber is identified.
VERDICT Abramson (“Saint Squad,” “Royals,” and numerous other series) was with the CIA for six years before beginning her prolific writing career. This is a skillfully done thriller with a dash of romance, lots of action, and even violence, but no sex or coarse language. The romantic ending is predestined.
Reviewed by Roland C. Person , Aug 01, 2024
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