Book Review: Out of Reach

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Out of Reach     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Patricia Lewin
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   FBI
Ballantine, Jan 2004, $23.95

CIA Agent Erin Baker blames herself for what happened to her younger sister. When Erin was twelve, she was supposed to watch her eight year old sister Claire. Instead she was to busy playing and someone abducted Claire. A few years later Claire was found, but was not the same person. Now Claire resides in an institution while Erin and a family friend raise her niece Janice.

As the news flashes about missing children, Erin notices an ice cream truck vendor doing magic tricks that causes a recall back to the day Claire was taken as the hands of the magician seem the same though the person looks different. When a new abduction occurs, she informs the FBI Agent in charge of the case Alec Donovan what she saw. He breaks the rules as he recognizes that Erin is more than just a passerby with a tenuous connection. Instead he adds her onto the investigation team that soon leads the duo to mixed feelings as love flourishes between them. A battle against an evil soul that has no qualms about stealing the innocent soon looms and love might not be enough to overcome the fiend.

OUT OF REACH is an exciting police procedural romance that sub-genre fans will enjoy though the pit of the stomach will ache due to the abduction of children. The story line is fast-paced as Erin and Alec comb the country following up on clues. Though Claire’s tale is not as clear as it needs to be to explain her further setback, fans will appreciate this entertaining serial kidnapper tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner