Thriller/Mystery/Crime Published September 29, 2015
Forge Books
Author's website | Goodreads | Buy the Book on Amazon
Synopsis from Goodreads:
My Thoughts...The beginning of an engrossing new suspense series featuring Philadelphia policewoman Nora Khalil
Officer Nora Khalil is used to navigating different terrains. As part of a joint task force set up by the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI, and the local sheriff’s offices, she works to keep Philly’s mean streets safe from gang violence, while trying to honor the expectations of her traditional Egyptian-American family. She can hold her own against hardened murderers and rapists, and her years as a competitive runner ensure that no suspect ever escapes on foot.
Nora tries to keep her professional and personal lives separate, but when a mutilated body is discovered in a tough section of town, Nora must rely on both her police training and her cultural background to find out whether this is another gang-related killing or the grisly evidence of something even darker and more disturbing.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I started it one day while I was on my lunch break at work and because of all my school work wasn't able to pick it back up for 4-5 days, but once I did I finished it in one sitting. I was pretty much hooked from the 2nd chapter and now I am going to have a hard time waiting for the next book in the series to come out. What I really liked about it is that this book is pretty much a self contained story, but a tiny thread of romance that will hopefully be the "thing" that carries over to the other books in the series.
Nora Khalil is a young police officer who has been tapped to join a special gang task force that's been set up with the FBI. John is her older more experienced male partner who loves her like a daughter while at the same time teaching her what she needs to know to survive her job. She's Egyptian and her family is very strict in their beliefs and traditions. She's falling in love with Ben, one of the FBI officers that she works with, and vice versa, but inter-racial dating/marriage is not something that's looked on kindly in her family so she keeps him at arms length. Nora and John, along with Ben and his partner are working on a case where a very young girl is murdered. They believe it's gang related and it pulls them in to a much bigger and potentially deadly situation. Some of the key players in this case are Muslim and Nora's language skills and her cultural knowledge and background are the things that help to crack the case wide open. At the same time, she is finding out things about her own family that will aid her in decisions that she must make about her own life and future, both personally and professionally.
I felt like this novel was very well paced and pretty much action packed from start to finish. The whole of the case plays out over the course of about a week, maybe a little more. All of the characters are very well developed, especially Nora and John. You can't help but feel for Nora and what she's going through and when she stands up for herself and her beliefs you feel the need to root for her. This is the first Carolyn Baugh book that I have read, but it definitely won't be the last. I think that she has tapped into something that is possibly lacking in this market. Her knowledge of the Egyptian and Muslim community is extensive because of her education and I think that her choosing to use it in this way is excellent. It's a lighter way to bring topics such as these to peoples attention.
XOXO, Shelly
*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
