REVIEW: Then You Hide by Roxanne St. Claire

Dear Ms. St. Claire:

This is the 7th installment in the BulletCatcher series comprised of five books and two novellas. Generally, I’ve liked each one of the installations. A lot of the times I think how well I like one of these books depends on how well I respond to the main characters.

Then You Hide is a continuation of a trilogy of books designed around three sisters, separated at birth. The mother of each sister is in prison for killing another woman. She claims she didn’t do it and has convinced the head of the BulletCatchers that their help would be worthwhile. In addition to the Bulletcatchers attempting to solve the mystery of the murder, they are also attempting to save her life. The mother has Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.

Each sister has a tattoo on the back of her neck. The Bulletcatchers have been dispatched to find the sisters, locate the tattoo, and report back. It is believed that the tattoos might hold some clue to the murderer.

Vanessa Porter heads down to the Carribean to search for her best friend, Clive Easterbrook, who hasn’t returned to his job as a trader in New York. Wade Cordell is sent to follow her and get a look at the back of her neck for an identifying tattoo. Vanessa’s ham fisted ways of investigating don’t get her very far, particularly when the gay community of the Islands seems to shut her out. Wade agrees to help Vanessa in return for a promise to get tested for a bone marrow match. (that didn’t seem very equal to me)
Porter’s fast moving Yankee ways are a bit much for good ol’ Southern boy Wade. When he sees her, he decides that she’s too tart and he likes a soft squeezable peach. When Vanessa meets Wade, she thinks he’s gay. “Wait till she told Clive about this. You guys get all the good ones.”

Like the others in the series, this story is very fast paced. The speed at which the two purportedly fall in love is one that might be difficult to accept. What was real to me was the idea that these two opposites could fall in lust with one another and be moved, under the tense emotional and physical stress, to find relief in each other’s arms. What was also well done was that through Wade’s eyes we see how the tart and sometimes uptight Vanessa was doggedly loyal and smoking hot. Through Vanessa’s eyes, we see that Wade is a competent, reliable, and also super hot. I liked seeing the character progression through the acts of the protagonists and the interpretations of those acts.

Because of the way in which the story was set up, with its swift time frame, I didn’t really understand the conflict imposed by Will at the end. It felt artificial and because I didn’t understand it, it confused me. Overall, though, this was another good entry in the Bullet Catcher saga. B-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or Powells. Mobipocket only right now.