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Marshall Marcus is a hugely successful hedge fund manager who has become a billionaire. Unfortunately, someone like him often becomes the target of those who see an easy way to grab a piece of the pie. A group kidnaps his daughter Alexa while she is out partying with a friend. His first thought is to call in an old friend, Nick Heller, who is a former Black Ops agent and well equipped to deal with the situation. The main villain has come up with a terrifying means of controlling Alexa. She is extremely claustrophobic and can't even ride in an elevator without falling apart. He places her in a coffin and buries her underground. The casket is equipped with a ventilation system that he can manipulate, as well as a camera that allows him to broadcast Alexa's travails to her father. Of course, Marcus is desperate to get his daughter back and will do anything that is asked – anything, that is, except for what he is actually being asked for. Heller is mystified by the fact that Marcus is willing to lose his daughter rather than part with the information that the villain wants. His investigation leads him into some dark territory which reveals a conspiracy involving secret US defense funding. Being claustrophobic myself, I found reading the scenes narrated by Alexa while encased in the coffin to be horrifying. I suppose it is a measure of the author's skill that he could cause me to be gasping for breath while I read. On the other hand, much of the tension was diminished by the use of very short chapters with various story lines split into three or four chapters. I found this to be very fragmented and a rather surprising technique to be used by a master thriller writer. That being said, I was carried along by the interesting plot and excellent characterization particularly the realistic portrayal of Heller who was in no way a super hero or the energizer bunny type that is often found in this type of book. BURIED SECRETS is the second book in the series, which has all the ingredients for many successful sequels. § Formerly a training development manager for a large company, Maddy is now retired and continues to enable the addiction of crime fiction fans as owner of the online discussion group, 4 Mystery Addicts(4MA), while avidly reading in every possible free moment herself.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, July 2011
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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