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48 Hour Lockdown
Tactical Crime Division # 1
BY Carla Cassidy

Harlequin Intrigue
April 1, 2020/ ISBN 9781335136398
Romance / Mystery

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

AMAZON

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy is the first in a series of four books. The books are an anthology of sorts, but instead of having short stories in one book, each plot has its own novel. Basically, the four different authors were provided by the publisher, an over-reaching arc that included a unit of the FBI, The Tactical Crime Division, TCD, and the four heroes and heroines.

“My heroine Annalise is protective, strong, stands on her own, brave, and bright. She had to overcome the feeling that Evan tries to control her, and she feels a loss of self. He is a bit macho, but he controlled her out of fear and danger. He overcompensated because he could not save his sister Maria. I hope nobody thought of him as an abuser. When she decided to leave him, he did not pursue her, but let her go. Evan is calm and calculating, traits needed in his job. While on the job, he is a very good listener. He is very passionate about his job.”

In this story, the hero is an FBI hostage negotiator, Evan Duran, and the heroine is a school teacher, Annalise Taylor. They were lovers and were set to get married until she left him three years ago. Now, under dire circumstances, they are reunited, after the Brotherhood of Jacob cult takes four children and Annalise hostage. Evan must use all his wits to rescue the children and the woman he still loves.

“I wanted to show how the three-year separation helped Annalise grow as a person to become stronger, independent, and courageous. The person she is today. Since they both still love each other and overcame the hurt and other issues, they were able to reconnect. She told him he handled the relationship like one of his hostage negotiations. She wanted real emotions and to allow her into his life.”

Another subplot involves a cult where the author wrote, “the hostage-takers as part of a cult, Brotherhood of Jacob, led by Jacob Noble. He was obsessed with being in charge and blamed society for letting him down. Jacob felt wronged by society, but with the cult, he was able to control people and felt a sense of power. Both he and his wife Gretchen were narcissists, had anger issues, agitated, volatile, and thrived on chaos.”

This novel shows how important it is to have those in the FBI using their skills for protecting Americans.

Reviewed 2020
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