I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Exposed
by
Laura Griffin
It is part of the Tracers #7 series and is a romantic suspense in Paperback edition that was published by Pocket Books on June 25, 2013 and has 374 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Deadly Promises, Untraceable, Unspeakable, Unforgivable, Snapped, Twisted, Scorched, Thread of Fear, Desperate Girls, Her Deadly Secrets, Total Control
Seventh in the Tracers romantic suspense series set in San Marcos, Texas. The couple focus is on Maddie Callahan and Brian Beckman.
My Take
This has an interesting give-and-take between Maddie and the FBI. I found myself skeptical as the FBI pulls Maddie in to help and Griffin misses an opportunity for tension with the typical FBI-police (in this case the Delphi Center) bitching. However, I also enjoyed the fact that Brian makes use of her and her connections. Yeah, yeah, whine, bitch, and moan, never happy…LOL Still, I do wish that Griffin had applied a bit more tension/drama in this case. It was too easy.
I did enjoy Brian’s dilemma. He wants in Maddie’s bed so bad, and yet he keeps holding off from the main event, sneaking in those small “attacks”. Maddie, however, makes me nuts. So what if she’s older than he is? And I hate that she’s clinging so hard to the past. Sure, I get her need to jail all the bad guys. It does not mean she doesn’t get to move forward.
Griffin did a lovely job of keeping us in suspense as to what and why the FBI wants Mladovic. I like Jolene’s character as well. A smart girl who thought things through. Even if it is way after the fact.
There were interesting scenes in this story, but it still left me feeling a bit blah. Been there, done that even though I did enjoy Maddie taking a more active part. I suspect I’m just disappointed that there was so much focus on Maddie and Brian and very little on the rest of the cast.
I enjoy the other characters and it’s always fun to see how the lives of others have progressed since their story focus. In this one? There’s very little exposure to events in their lives; it’s more as if they played cameos and that’s it.
The Story
Relieved to be finished with taking engagement photos, Maddie is attacked when she heads to her car and her camera taken. Must be an attack of greater moment than Maddie understands when the FBI show up along with the cops.
The Characters
Maddie Callahan works at the Delphi Center as a photographer and does some side work for weddings, personal photography, and such as she hides from her past. Emma was her daughter. Mitch is her ex-husband married to the newly pregnant — again — Danielle. Todd Jennings is a friend of Mitch’s, and Maddie is doing Jennings’ wedding photos.
Special Agents Brian Beckman, who’s obsessed with women, and Sam Dulles are the FBI team who show up in response to Maddie’s attack. Special Agents Elizabeth LeBlanc and Chris Hicks are part of the task force.
San Marcos PD / Clarke County Sheriff Department
Officer Scanlon found her purse which Jeff returned to her. Deputy Sheriff Craig Rodgers is a friend of Maddie’s. Sheriff Jack Bracewell is front and center.
Delphi Center
The Delphi Center is an independent state-of-the-art forensics center with the best of the best and frequently helps the Clark County law enforcement community. Brooke Porter is taking prints. Kelsey Quinn (Deadly Promises: Unstoppable, 2.5 and Scorched, 6) is their forensic anthropologist. Roland Delgado specialized in “any evidence that was difficult to see with the naked eye”. Dr. Mia Voss (Unforgivable, 3) provides DNA testing. Scott Black is the ballistics expert. And Griffin is setting us up for a future installment with Rae Loveland, a defense lawyer.
Jolene Murphy is the star witness in a federal case. Isabella Simmons is San Marcos. Heidi Beckles was San Antonio. Detective Vega is with LAPD and has a similar case: Gillian Dawson while Nicole Sands is still alive.
Dr. Goran Mladovic is a medical doctor with his own get-rich-quick plans. He’s another reason why parents need to be licensed… Katya is/was his daughter; Sylvia is his wife. Vladimir Volansky and Anatoli Petrovik are Jolene’s attackers. Matt Cabrera‘s FBI task force has had Mladovic and company under surveillance for some time.
Chico Gutierrez is one of Rae’s clients and places Rae in the right place at the right time for a meeting his brother Luis takes.
The Cover and Title
The cover is wet! It’s a brilliant sunset with yellow, oranges, and reds with Maddie in a blank tanktop glancing at us over her shoulder with the rain stabbing down like stair rods.
The title is fitting as Maddie is a photographer and is Exposed to the bad guys.
