Outsourced

The creepy world of espionage and for-profit military forces is the setting for Hillhouse's first work of fiction. Set in Iraq, the thriller has plenty to grab the listener's attention: mystery, action, sex, corruption, and enough dead bodies to make a Bruce Willis movie. Hillhouse, a former spy, masterfully links her story to real news events and government reports, creating a heightened sense of realism. But most of her plot lurks in the shadowy rivalries between spies, special-ops personnel, and mercenaries for hire. The story contains considerable dialogue, and Hillary Huber is effective in creating the multiple characters. She draws on many accents, some better than others, and variations in cadence to paint vivid and credible scenes. J.B.B. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

June 4, 2007
Hillhouse ranks high among the new female thriller writers who have virtually taken over the once male-dominated genre, and this excellent audio shows why. A former high-level U.S. security official, Hillhouse displays his expertise on virtually every page, and Huber goes with the flowkeeping things clean and cool no matter how hot the action gets. Huber is fine at catching the complex characters of Camille Black, who supplies skilled personnel to the U.S. in Iraq; her former lover, Hunter Smith, who the C.I.A. asks Camille to find because he may be selling arms to terrorists; and a veritable snake pit of devious government agents. Listening to Huber's excellent reading adds to the pleasure of Hillhouse's solid plotting and storytelling and should convince listeners that both author and reader are talents to watch. "A simultaneous release with the Forge hardcover (reviewed online). (July)" .