My Review:
Evan is born into a family whose business is crime. Andie is the daughter of a man running for office. They seem to have nothing in common, but they have many more things than they know.
When I picked up this book, I was not sure about it, but the story draws you in. This young man who was born in the wrong family and is determined to do the right thing, even if it costs him everything, will for sure inspire you. Andie, stubborn and determined to do things a certain way can frustrate you, but I found myself drawn into the story. Plus, there are all kinds of fun chases on water and land to follow, witness protection, undercover people…all the stuff I love and this is better than one of your TV crime solving shows! -Martha
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Kregel Publications (April 23, 2010)
***Special thanks to Cat Hoort of Kregel Publications for sending me a review copy.***
Sue Duffy is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Moody magazine, The Presbyterian Journal, Sunday Digest, and The Christian Reader. Her first novel Mortal Wounds was published in 2001 and she has also contributed to Stories for a Womans Heart (Multnomah). She and her husband, Mike, have three grown children.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (April 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825425948
ISBN-13: 978-0825425943
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
In an instant, his world collapsed, and no one knew it but him. The giddy chatter of students rushing to and from the cafeteria swirled about him as he felt blindly for something to lean against.
Eyes locked on the overhead television screen, Evan Markham backed slowly toward a post in the crowded student union. Just moments ago, hed been one of them, a Florida State student preparing for exams and the long-awaited summer break. But what hed just heard ended it all.
He had only glanced at the News at Noon anchorwoman with the glossy lips as he hurried to class. He caught something about a shootout in Tampa, but kept going. As he reached the door, though, he heard a name that stopped him cold.
. . . Leo Francini.
Evan turned suddenly and stared at the screen as the woman switched the broadcast to an on-the-scene reporter. A cold sweat sprang from his brow as he moved quickly toward others gathering before the monitor.
This quiet residential street in Tampa was the scene today of a bloody standoff between FBI agents and members of a drug cartel run by Miami racketeer Leo Francini, the somber-faced young man announced. Before the violence ended about nine oclock this morning, two FBI agents and Francinis son, Donnie Francini, were killed. It is believed that Leo Francini was in the area, though not involved in the shootout. An intense manhunt by the FBI and local police is now underway. A house-to-house search is being conducted in . . .
Steadying himself against the post, Evan turned to see if anyone was watching him. How could they know? No one knows.
Then another name caught him.
Florida Attorney General Tony Ryborg, visibly shaken by the deaths of the two FBI agents, just moments ago issued what he calls an iron-clad promise to the people of this state, saying, Leo Francini will be brought to justice and pay the severest penalty for these deaths.
Two hours later, Evan was packed and ready to leave. For where, he didnt yet know. Hed removed all his belongings from the apartment and left a note for his roommate, whom he hardly knew. He hadnt allowed himself to get close to many people, switching roommates often during the three years hed been enrolled. Still, the guy deserved an apology for the sudden departure.
Evan returned to the student union to close his checking account and put a hold on his mail, evading inquiries about why he would do so before final exams.
As he left the building, he saw her. As usual, she didnt notice him. Andie Ryborg seemed as absorbed in a private world as he was. Only hers hadnt just ended in a gunfight.
One last time, he hung back and watched her. Dark hair fell loosely about her face as she sketched beneath a tree, focused on the gurgling fountain in the center of the green.
Theyll find you. Get away!
