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.