Storm Rising

Starred review from October 1, 2018
Driscoll’s exceptional third FBI K-9 novel (after 2017’s Before It’s Too Late) takes Meg Jennings of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit and her Labrador, Hawk, from their Arlington, Va., base to Virginia Beach on a mission to rescue victims of a recent hurricane. Accompanying the pair is Lt. Todd Webb, a firefighter/paramedic and potential love interest for Meg with whom she worked on a previous case. Inside a submerged SUV Todd spots in the Elizabeth River, they find two dead girls bound to their seats by buckles—Meg estimates one to be 13, the other a little younger. Their investigation soon turns into a hunt for other girls who may have survived and escaped the vehicle. Clues suggest that one such girl headed for the dangerous Great Dismal Swamp. Finding the girl is merely the prelude to the efforts of Meg and her allies to try to bring down the men behind a human trafficking ring. The descriptions of the teamwork between dog and human are detailed and dramatic, and the interactions between Meg and Todd as their relationship develops are convincing. Readers will hope this series has a long run. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.

November 1, 2018

After Hurricane Cole hits, FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, report to Virginia Beach as part of the Human Scent Evidence Team. Accompanying is Meg's boyfriend, Todd Webb, who is responding as a firefighter/paramedic. On the way to Meg's next location, Todd spots an overturned van. Inside are the bodies of young girls in restraints, victims of the sex trade. Meg realizes someone escaped the accident, and ignoring the dangers in searching the devastated area, she and Hawk trace the whereabouts of two girls. While the youngest recuperates, Meg and Hawk are tasked with a special assignment to find the people responsible for this sex trafficking case. Meg and the FBI soon discover connections to powerful figures profiting from the exploitation of young girls. VERDICT Following Before It's Too Late, Driscoll's third thriller offers an action-packed story combining the drama of a posthurricane search and rescue with the suspenseful investigation of a human trafficking case. Suggest for readers of Margaret Mizushima's "Timber Creek K-9" series.{amp}mdash;Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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