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Following the tumultuous events of the previous book, Anita, Chris, Delia, and Suzanne lack even a moment’s peace. Suzanne is unsure if she can live with her daughter after the acts she committed in the name of justice and vengeance, but as the truth begins to unfold, their ordeals only strengthen their bonds. The police and other agents are hounding Anita, trying to get her to crack and confess to the explosion that she caused to eliminate the criminal mastermind, Dante. When a mysterious assailant invades her home, Anita and Delia have no choice but to defend themselves, though Anita loses her unborn child in the process, and further suspicion is cast on the group. Trying to conduct their own investigations and simply survive proves difficult as every suspicious activity leads the local police back to them.
Even the new guards hired to increase security are seemingly not to be trusted. During a patrol to track down movement on the property, Dante is able to abduct Anita once again, holding her prisoner and demanding her services as an attorney to defend him in court, with a terrible fate awaiting her if she fails. With her will being tested as witness to Dante’s atrocities and facing off against her traitorous best friend, Carolyn, in order to save her from the fate she left her behind in, Anita must manage to play both sides in order to keep Dante from torturing or eliminating her while finding a new way to turn the situation to her advantage.
It’s impressive how quickly the narrative gets its legs under it in this sequel, wasting almost no time before intrigue, suspense, and danger set in after the events of the first book. Employing the themes and threats of organized crime and human trafficking as a useful narrative engine keeps readers on the edge of their seats for the entire book. While it can be difficult to stomach the delight that Dante seems to take in destroying villages and abducting children to serve the needs of his criminal empire, that antagonism is offset by the support group that Anita creates among the captive children and had cultivated in her trusted group which is desperate to stage a rescue for her. That kind of balance complements and foils the entire cast but also succeeds in leading the reader to doubt anybody outside Anita’s cadre.
This story not only builds on the foundation of the previous novel but potentially leaves the door open for further adventure. There is a consistent expectation for action and mystery that the author satisfies so regularly that the reader will never have to worry about a drag in the story or a fluctuating pace. Much of the opportunity for character development is set aside in this installment to accomplish that, a feature which will require the reader to follow these stories in order if they want to fully understand the characters and events contained within. It’s a small price to pay for a story that fires on all cylinders from cover to cover and keeps its audience turning page after page until the very end. Certainly, in a genre like suspense, it’s a trade-off that only serves to enhance the overall entertainment experience.