Series: The Searchers (Book 2)
Crime expert Wyatt McKinnon has built his career by
turning high-profile cases into bestsellers. His most recent project --
investigating the murders that landed a detective on death row -- has reunited
him with Taylor Bradshaw, the inmate's fiercely protective sister. Wyatt plans
to help her exonerate her convicted sibling.
Wyatt insists his attraction to the captivating redhead
won't distract him, but he does concede that the recent attempts on Ms.
Bradshaw's life have caused unexpected emotional complications.
This was an
emotional, fast-paced, and complex story, the second in the series "TheSearchers." More than twenty years earlier, Wyatt's younger sister had been kidnapped, the strain of the event tearing
his family apart. Both Wyatt and his older brother, Gage (Nowhere to Hide),
were torn up with guilt over the kidnapping, each blaming himself for not
stopping it. Gage dealt with his guilt by becoming an FBI agent, working in the
Crimes Against Children unit. Wyatt coped by writing books about crimes to understand the mindset of people who commit them.
Neither man has stopped searching for their sister, always hopeful that she
will be found. Wyatt's latest project is
the story of a cop who has been convicted
of murdering his pregnant girlfriend and her mother.
Taylor is the sister of the convicted murderer. She
adores her big brother and knows that there is no way that Hunter is guilty. A
few classes shy of graduating from medical school, she quit that and transferred
to law school, determined to find a way to prove her brother innocent and set
him free. She is horrified to find out that Wyatt has been interviewing Hunter because she knows that Wyatt's books are slanted toward the side of the victims. She
has been looking for proof for two years to help with the appeal but has been constantly stonewalled and
frustrated by the lack of help from Hunter's attorney, a long-time friend of
the family. When her roommate suggests that she take her information to Wyatt
in hopes that he will help her find the truth, Taylor is wary but willing to
try anything.
Wyatt was intrigued by Taylor from the time he met her at
Hunter's trial. He is skeptical of her claims of Hunter's innocence but wants his book to be accurate. As
he and Taylor work together, Wyatt quickly realizes that there are more
questions than answers in what they find out. There is also a strong attraction
between them, something that neither of them is happy about at first. Taylor
doesn't need or want the distraction. Wyatt is afraid that it will affect his
ability to be impartial, but he also can't deny that he feels protective of
her, especially once he finds out about the threats she has received. The
longer they worked together on Hunter's case, the closer they got. That same
closeness also had Wyatt running scared. He had spent years with walls built
around his heart, letting no one inside as a way to protect himself from the
pain of any more loss. But Taylor had gotten inside, and he didn't know quite how to deal with it. It took nearly losing
her to make Wyatt realize the depth of his feelings for her. Taylor recognized
her feelings sooner, but there were things going
on that made her believe that Wyatt didn't return her feelings. I loved the
ending when all the misunderstandings were cleared up. Wyatt's vulnerability as
he confessed his feelings was heartwrenching.
The question of Hunter's innocence or guilt was very well done. I ached for Taylor, who had
given up everything that was important to her to try to get justice for her
brother. Her determination was amazing and had led her to some information that
raised questions about his conviction. Wyatt was
convinced of Hunter's guilt but impressed
by Taylor's belief in her brother. I liked the way that he was open-minded
enough to listen to what Taylor had to say. The search for the truth also put a
target on Taylor's back, as threats warned her to back off, and her house was set on fire as a warning. As she and Wyatt
delved deeper into what led up to the murders, multiple suspects were uncovered. Was it the fiancée's married
lover? Or did it have something to do with her investigation into police
corruption? Could it have something to do with the fiancée's mother? Or had
Hunter pissed off one too many of his fellow cops? The final unraveling of the
mystery had some unexpected twists to it. The final confrontation was intense
and had me wondering just how Taylor was
going to get out of it. I loved her determination and ingenuity as she fought
for her life. The final revelations showed what a tangled web it had been.
Also running through the book was the continuing search
for Wyatt and Gage's kidnapped little sister. We see how the kidnapping
affected Wyatt, both as a child and as an adult. I ached for Wyatt and the
guilt he still feels. A lead comes in an
unexpected way, and Wyatt's
excitement is palpable. That same excitement creates some problems, as he
doesn't share what is happening with Taylor and she misconstrues what she sees.
The ending was amazing with one mystery solved, but questions still remaining.
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