Run Among Thorns

April 21, 2008
In Lucia's off-kilter debut, normal gal Jenny Waring takes extraordinary action in an office-building hostage taking, and manages to kill the three armed men holding her. That attracts the notice of an anonymous government security agency, certain Jenny is working for someone and determined to find out who. When Jenny doesn't break under interrogation, enter specialist Kier McAllister, who takes her to a cabin in Scotland to break her down psychologically. That he begins to believe that she is telling the truth may mean more bad news for Jenny, who has already fallen for her captor, as the agents have plenty of uses for a woman with her native skills. Lucia tries to covers too much ground in this Stockholm syndrome-based bit of romantic suspense, with early twists and turns either simplified or eliminated by the middle chapters. Red herrings further muddy the waters.