Hidden Agenda

December 15, 2014
When 19-year-old Ivan witnesses his billionaire father's men torturing one man and executing another, he enlists his sister Olivia's help in getting the wounded man off their father's private coastal Georgia island. As they flee with undercover cop Michael Hunt, Olivia and Ivan come to the realization that their distant businessman father is actually running a drug cartel. Michael can't go to the authorities because the cartel obviously has someone inside the police force, someone who will make sure he doesn't live through the night. Michael subsequently disappears and is presumed dead, until he turns up on a security video of a convenience-store robbery. Harris' appealing charactersespecially deaf and brilliant Ivan, a great example of someone with a sensory challenge who is not disabled because of italong with fast-paced action; a hot-but-chaste, burgeoning relationship; and a nonpreachy message of faith elevate this inspirational romance, the latest in Harris' Southern Crimes series (Dangerous Passage, 2013; Fatal Exchange, 2014), making it a great read for fans of romantic suspense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)