Shelley Brannigan Interference

Interference

Shelley Brannigan

Five Star, Jul 2006, $25.95

ISBN: 1594144842

Her dying Gran persuades Andrea Jordan to give a death bed vow to check in on her great-grandchild to insure the kid is okay. After Gran's funeral, Andrea drives from her Denver home to Tabor, Wyoming where her cousin Tracey and her infant daughter reside in a trailer with dangerous David Elk Runner, a meth manufacturer and dealer. When she gets there Andrea sees someone sleeping in the tub, her cousin stoned comatose and the stove having all sorts of stuff burned out. She shuts the stove off and takes the baby with her leaving a note behind for Tracey; Andrea also takes money that is lying around.

David returns to the trailer; he is outraged and beats up Tracey. He plans to get his money back, kill the witness to his meth lab and the corpse in the tub, and if the baby dies as collateral damage so be it. On her way home, Andrea learns that the cops are looking for her for stealing money; no mention of the infant. Needing to change her plates, she steals the license tag off of a truck that happens to belong to Police Officer Justin Blackburn who tracks down Andrea and offers his protection as they try to bring down the lethal David.

Readers will agree with support character Dr. Virginia Lester that the heroine is nuts for interfering, but did the right thing as the infant was being neglected and abused. Still that took courage because the police and even the FBI could have arrested her for kidnapping. Though the license plate switch scene is too convenient, fans will appreciate this fascinating police procedural romance with its glimpse at a meth lab in which surprisingly the Red States have many more than the Blue States.

Harriet Klausner