Monday, April 13, 2009

Knock Out-Catherine Coulter

Knock Out
Catherine Coulter
Putnam, Jun 2009, $26.95
ISBN: 9780399155840

FBI agent Dillon Savich is on line in a bank when robbers enter with guns blazing. They have done this before killing guards and customers. This time Savich kills three of the robbers. As Lissy escapes, with the help of the getaway drived, she vows to kill Savich for killing her mom. However, she is caught and taken to a hospital for her injuries. Victor, using an FBI badge, frees her.

Savich and his FBI partner wife Lacey Sherlock tries to help Titusville Sheriff Ethan Merriweather protect Joanne Backman and seven-year-old Autumn, who is a strong telepath from her odious Uncle Blessed who can control minds when he looks into a person’s eyes. Autumn contacted Savich telepathically. The Feds capture Blessed, but he escapes. He plans to abduct his niece to take her to a place where her psychic skills can grow to the point where the cult he founded can use her. Meanwhile Savich and Sherlock return to DC where Lissy and Victor have surfaced. As soon as they leave, Blessed grabs Joanne and Autumn. Only a miracle might save the pair from being Blessed.

All of Catherine Coulter’s thrillers are excellent, but this one is special as the heroes are caught with conflicting cases. Both subplots are fully developed so that the audience understands the internal strife Savich especially feels as he and Sherlock want to capture the deadly bank robbers as well as Blessed; the laws of physics make achieving both impossible. Autumn will win the hearts of the audience from the moment she mentally contacts Savich after seeing his heroics on TV. Whereas the Lisa-Victor story line is typical of an FBI thriller, Autumn is refreshing as an ESP element augments the entry. Readers will enjoy S&S and want Autumn to return to assist them on a future case; if she survives her uncle.

Harriet Klausner

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