Irene Hannon's "Thin Ice"

In the second Men of Valor book, middle brother Lance McGregor, formerly a Delta Force operator and now an FBI agent, is dropped right in the fire for his first case. Christy Reed comes to him with a compelling story of her sister, who was killed in a fire months age - -and who apparently just sent her a letter from her kidnapper. Is it a sick joke? Or could her sister possibly be alive? Is it someone with a vendetta against Christy or her sister? Questions pile up, but clues are far between. One thing, though, is certain - someone is pursuing her with a deadly agenda.

One thing I always appreciate about Hannon's books is that she delves into the mind of the villain, so we get to see what makes him (or her) tick, as well as a glimpse of his history--enough that sometimes one can even pity the lost soul. While the villain's twisted mind isn't the focus of the story, it really enriches it. And this one has a doozy of a villain.

I loved the suspense. Both Christy and Lance are intelligent, sensible people. They're so smart about the investigation, asking for help when needed, taking precautions, and not taking foolish risks. You know they have a shot of outsmarting the villain--but only if they can gather enough clues in time to figure out what he'll do next.

I liked Lance a lot, especially when he opens himself to vulnerability, like with Christy and his best friend's wife. I also enjoyed his relationship with his brothers--a bit of competitive tension, a touch of annoyance, and a lot of love, even if hard to express. It's been a while since I read Hannon's older series, but even so it was fun to re-encounter FBI agent Mitch Sanders (An Eye for an Eye), one of Lance's new colleagues. I look forward to the next story, about Finn McGregor!

Thank you Revell for providing a free book in exchange for a review; I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.

Men of Valor
1. Buried Secrets
2. Thin Ice
3. Tangled Webs