Taylor Smith Slim to None

Slim to None

Taylor Smith

Mira, Sep 2006, $24.95

ISBN: 0778323323

Two years ago security specialist Hannah Nicks lost her partial custody of her eight years old son Gabe. Instead of she reading Potter to Gabe, his stepmother Christie is the one to tuck him in at night. She does not fault her ex Cal or Christie though she is jealous. Now she is in the Middle East working as fast and hard as possible to earn the money to walk away so that she can raise her beloved offspring. Finally the chance to make big bucks occurs in Iraq when an abducted American doctor needs rescuing from terrorists. However, an ambush on the road near Al Zawra killed her partner Oz and destroyed her reputation. She gives the Fitzgerald reward money to Oz's family leaving her broke in more ways than one.

Two years later, Hannah resides in Los Angeles while Gabe remains with Christie and Cal. Hannah remains bitter towards George Kenner the man who betrayed her and Oz. a terrorist scheme involving a packed crowd at the Staple Center gives her a Slim To None chance to take down Kenner except he has her son and the audience as hostages.

This is an exhilarating suspense thriller that occurs in two parts; the first half of the novel focuses on the incident in 2003 Iraq while the latter happens two plus years later in Los Angeles. Hannah and to a lesser degree Kenner (or whatever name he uses) are the ties between the two interrelated "novellas". Fans will enjoy this tense cat and mouse thriller that takes the audience on an initial high then starts over to once again bring the reader to the stratosphere. Taylor Smith is at her best with this powerful fast-paced two in one thriller.

Harriet Klausner