Into the Fire

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided me with Lynette Eason’s latest novel Too Close to Home, a suspense novel with a dab of romance entwined with catching a serial teen girl kidnapper and eventual killer.

Those of us who write and read can echo Solomon’s declaration of “There’s nothing new under the sun.” It’s all been done in the writing world, the stories told a thousand different ways, and really all we’ve got to separate us from others is our voice, an occasional unique plot element, and characters who engage our readers. The reason I say this is because if you’re an avid reader like I am, sometimes the plots run together and the character situations overlap to the point where the lines blur between stories. In Too Close to Home the first few chapters reminded me of a nearly identical father-daughter relationship occurring in Steven James’ thriller series where FBI Special Agent Patrick Bower has lost his wife and is on rocky ground with his teen step-daughter Tessa.

In Too Close to Home Homicide Detective Connor Wolfe is joined by FBI Special Agent computer whiz Samantha Cash to help find the killer of teen girls who first go missing and several months later wind up dead. The one similarity between the girls is that they’ve all given birth. Samantha attempts to discover how the teens are being lured into the killer’s trap by dissecting their hard drives. Together the task force learns of a fake modeling agency and a man who goes by “Danny” who communicates via various email addresses and then somehow manages to clear their computers and maintain contact through cell phones.

The attraction between Connor and Samantha reluctantly flares for both of them as they work this case. Samantha somewhat resembles Connor’s deceased wife and connects with Jenna, Connor’s estranged and unhappy daughter who is also being stalked by “Danny”.

Christians surround Connor, including his partner Andrew, Connor’s parents, and Samantha, but he’s at odds with God, choosing to play the blame game.

Lynette’s voice came through well in Too Close to Home, but the novel’s predictability offered little surprise early and throughout the story. Please understand I’m not criticizing Lynette’s writing, but the plot lacked innovation. Of all the characters Samantha Cash was the most interesting. Her sister Jamie, a peripheral character in the story who’d endured a severe trauma in the past, clinches the final clue to the killer’s identity and is used as a set-up for the next book in the Women of Justice series.

The epilogue to this story felt totally out of place. Many publishers today include the first chapters of their author’s next novel at the end of a story, and in my opinion this final element should have occurred in that format.

For those readers who enjoy romantic suspense and don’t mind figuring out key players early in the story, this novel will entertain you.

Available April 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Lord, you know the plans you have for Lynette, the stories you’ve given her to tell, and the desires of her heart. Please guide her and direct her steps according to your perfect plan. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.