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constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book free from the publisher through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I give this book 3 and 1/2 stars(rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars. It is the 4th book in the Rachel Scott series. Rachel is the head of a private agency specializing in locating kidnapped children. She started this effort in the process of looking for her own kidnapped child, six years prior to the period in this book. The characters are well written and the plot moves along well. She is still looking for her kidnapped daughter Mallory and it is the main focus of the book. It read ok as a stand alone, but I would recommend reading the books in order.
I downgraded it to 3.5 stars because on p. 79, a private detective and retired DEA agent helping Rachel look for Mallory uses his DEA badge to get into a gated community. Retired Federal law enforcement officers do not get to use their badges in this manner. When I retired(not from DEA), I was required to turn in my badge. It was sent to a machine shop, cut in half and then the 2 halves were fitted together in a block of clear hard plastic. I got it back about 4 months after retirement. I imagine the author considers this artistic license, but I think that it goes too far. If the author added the word "replica" to describe the badge, then the book would be accurate.
Update Feb 7,2016. My wife liked this book and asked me to buy any of the first three if they came up on a Amazon flash sale. Today they are $1.99 each and I bought all 3.
I downgraded it to 3.5 stars because on p. 79, a private detective and retired DEA agent helping Rachel look for Mallory uses his DEA badge to get into a gated community. Retired Federal law enforcement officers do not get to use their badges in this manner. When I retired(not from DEA), I was required to turn in my badge. It was sent to a machine shop, cut in half and then the 2 halves were fitted together in a block of clear hard plastic. I got it back about 4 months after retirement. I imagine the author considers this artistic license, but I think that it goes too far. If the author added the word "replica" to describe the badge, then the book would be accurate.
Update Feb 7,2016. My wife liked this book and asked me to buy any of the first three if they came up on a Amazon flash sale. Today they are $1.99 each and I bought all 3.
mrsmar10thereader's review against another edition
5.0
Never Disappointed
I’ve been on this journey since the beginning and I’ve read some of the books twice. I’m always engaged with the action and Rachel, Stacey, Red, Mike, Janine and the crew are always into something when they’re rescuing someone.
I’ve been on this journey since the beginning and I’ve read some of the books twice. I’m always engaged with the action and Rachel, Stacey, Red, Mike, Janine and the crew are always into something when they’re rescuing someone.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Rachel Scott finally seems to have a legitimate lead on the whereabouts of her daughter Mallory, who was kidnapped six years ago. Rachel has no time to celebrate, however, because time could be running out to find Mallory. In addition, Rachel’s friend and colleague, Stacy Case, was following up on a lead on an illegal adoption ring, which could be related to Mallory’s disappearance, when she herself vanishes. Rachel feels guilty for the danger Stacy could be in, but must trust her co-worker Red to lead the search for Stacy while she pursues her chance to be reunited with Mallory. The resources of Rachel’s team at Florida’s Omnis Search are stretched thin and the danger increases as they work together to try to find both Stacy and Mallory before it’s too late.
I have read and enjoyed each the prior books in the Rachel Scott series. Rachel is always searching for her missing daughter, Mallory, but started an organization to locate other missing persons. The stories are well-told and action-packed. Although this book is comparable in length to the prior books in this series, there seems to be less substance in this book. It starts out so exciting. The first chapter has Rachel’s colleague Stacy commenting on the fact that “twenty-three hundred people were reported missing every single day in this country…” The chapter ends with Stacy saying, “I became one of those missing twenty-three hundred people.” Unfortunately, after that, we don’t get much more of Stacy’s first person narrative and that storyline moves to the background. It’s mentioned and very much a part of the main plot of the book, but the reader no longer got to experience the events with Stacy first hand, so it lost some of the sense of urgency.
“Deceptive Measures” is still a suspenseful, enjoyable book. I like almost all of the main characters of the book. Rachel, Stacy, and Rachel’s associate Red are all strong characters. They are brave and determined to help those in need, even if it requires unconventional means that put themselves in danger. I like Rachel and former DEA agent Mike Mancini as a couple. However, I’m glad their romance, while always present, doesn’t take center-stage since that would have diminished the importance of the searches for Stacy and Mallory. Rachel is relatable and realistic as a woman determined to find her missing daughter. The only note of falseness which took me out of the moment was when Rachel was following a promising lead to finding her daughter and she is wondering how she is being treated. It’s one thing for Rachel to wonder if she Mallory is being fed healthy food and what her interests are, but to wonder if Mallory’s TV and video time are being limited is ridiculous when she doesn’t know what other horrors her daughter could be experiencing.
The book is exciting and the plot definitely takes some unexpected turns. Without spoiling the story, I will say that I enjoyed the ending, but found it a bit of a letdown. There are too many things explained in a short epilogue at the end of the book instead of playing out for the reader as they occurred. After the book ended, I was left wondering how some things would turn out. In spite of the way the ending is handled, I enjoyed this fast-moving installment in an excellent series. Fans of the old television series, “Without a Trace” will enjoy the Rachel Scott books. There is enough background information provided that a new reader could follow the plot and enjoy the story. However, I think the book had added suspense for me since I had read the three prior books in the series and gotten to know Rachel better through the previous installments.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Thomas & Mercer Publishing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I have read and enjoyed each the prior books in the Rachel Scott series. Rachel is always searching for her missing daughter, Mallory, but started an organization to locate other missing persons. The stories are well-told and action-packed. Although this book is comparable in length to the prior books in this series, there seems to be less substance in this book. It starts out so exciting. The first chapter has Rachel’s colleague Stacy commenting on the fact that “twenty-three hundred people were reported missing every single day in this country…” The chapter ends with Stacy saying, “I became one of those missing twenty-three hundred people.” Unfortunately, after that, we don’t get much more of Stacy’s first person narrative and that storyline moves to the background. It’s mentioned and very much a part of the main plot of the book, but the reader no longer got to experience the events with Stacy first hand, so it lost some of the sense of urgency.
“Deceptive Measures” is still a suspenseful, enjoyable book. I like almost all of the main characters of the book. Rachel, Stacy, and Rachel’s associate Red are all strong characters. They are brave and determined to help those in need, even if it requires unconventional means that put themselves in danger. I like Rachel and former DEA agent Mike Mancini as a couple. However, I’m glad their romance, while always present, doesn’t take center-stage since that would have diminished the importance of the searches for Stacy and Mallory. Rachel is relatable and realistic as a woman determined to find her missing daughter. The only note of falseness which took me out of the moment was when Rachel was following a promising lead to finding her daughter and she is wondering how she is being treated. It’s one thing for Rachel to wonder if she Mallory is being fed healthy food and what her interests are, but to wonder if Mallory’s TV and video time are being limited is ridiculous when she doesn’t know what other horrors her daughter could be experiencing.
The book is exciting and the plot definitely takes some unexpected turns. Without spoiling the story, I will say that I enjoyed the ending, but found it a bit of a letdown. There are too many things explained in a short epilogue at the end of the book instead of playing out for the reader as they occurred. After the book ended, I was left wondering how some things would turn out. In spite of the way the ending is handled, I enjoyed this fast-moving installment in an excellent series. Fans of the old television series, “Without a Trace” will enjoy the Rachel Scott books. There is enough background information provided that a new reader could follow the plot and enjoy the story. However, I think the book had added suspense for me since I had read the three prior books in the series and gotten to know Rachel better through the previous installments.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Thomas & Mercer Publishing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
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