The Innocent

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
—
Michael Monroe's best friend and most trusted ally, Logan needs help – he was raised by a cult as were most of his close friends, and despite being free of them for all of his adult life, he's not been able to truly put The Chosen behind him. His friend, Charity, is possibly the only one closer to him than Michael, she grew up in the same cult and also left when she was old enough to make it on her own. Eight years before this book, her daughter was kidnapped by a member of The Chosen and taken somewhere to South America . Now, after years of searching, and her being moved from location to location, they have located her. There's only one person that Logan trusts to bring Hannah home.

Locating one girl in the city of Buenos Aires is no easy feat. Extricating he from a controlling atmosphere without harming anyone isn't much easier. Getting her out of the country and back into the US? More difficult yet. Throw in some donors and allies to The Chosen that aren't who you'd expect – and aren't nearly as pacifistic as the cultists – and you've got yourself a thriller.

Ever since the events of The Informationist, some months earlier, Michael's been haunted by the deaths she's caused – and is experiencing some kind of night terrors that keeps her chasing danger. Her own subconscious might be the biggest opponent that Michael has to deal with.

Frankly, for the first third or so (probably less), I had to force myself to stay with it, trusting that Stevens knew what she was doing – the way that Michael's internal conflict was presented – as well as the way that Logan approached things, just didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it was the way Stevens wrote the problems/solutions. But it wasn't until the Michael got to Argentina that things really got me interested.

Hubner's narration was capable and engaging – it wasn't dazzling, but it delivered everything you want.

Despite a rocky start, once things got moving, this proved to be another satisfying thriller with Michael Monroe – and demonstrates what this series can be. I'll be back for more soon.