REVIEW: Far Gone by Laura Griffin

In Far Gone by Laura Griffin, Officer Andrea Finch has found herself embroiled in a case hunting for a madman who is spreading his message through terrorism and mayhem. And it seems her younger brother Gavin may be caught up in the middle of it all. On leave after an incident on the job, Andrea devotes her time to searching for details on her brother’s potential involvement with a psychotic killer. She can’t imagine her kid brother being part of a sinister plan, but his naivete may be his downfall. When Andrea starts to cooperate with federal agent Jon North, she doesn’t trust him but she can’t deny she’s attracted to him. Their mutual chemistry complicates an already tricky situation as she worries more and more that Gavin may be tangled up in something she won’t be able to help him out of. But will she find him before time runs out and the killer strikes again?

‘He was a difficult man to read. What did he think of her brother right now? Of her? She shouldn’t care, but she did. His opinion mattered, more than she wanted it to.’

Jon North joined the FBI to keep horrific events like the Oklahoma City bombing from ever happening again. The current case he’s investigating has the potential to devastate scores of people. The trail leads him to the middle of nowhere in the Texas desert, but it also brings detective Andrea Finch into his life. She assures him her brother Gavin couldn’t possibly be part of the group behind such malicious attacks. But Jon isn’t so sure. He sets out to find the answers, once and for all, while trying to keep what is growing between himself and Andrea alive. It will take all of his concentration and resources to find the culprits without alienating the tough-as-nails woman who could become the love of his life.

‘He could see the pulse thrumming at the side of her neck as she eyed him mistrustfully. Something twisted inside him. All this time together, and she still didn’t know. She didn’t have a clue how he felt about her. He leaned his head down and kissed her.’

Far Gone was a thrilling romantic suspense that had me on the edge of my seat, hoping our hero and heroine would not only find the criminal, but also find love in the process.

Author Laura Griffin is obviously a huge name in the world of romantic suspense. And after reading this book, it’s easy to see why. The plot had a good number of twists and turns as we were given hints about who was behind the bombing and what their motivation might be. There was also the thread of Andrea’s career changing event and subsequent decision made just before she became involved in the case. I thought it was an interesting turn with her brother Gavin potentially involved with the people being investigated. It definitely became a source of tension between Andrea and Jon as she wasn’t always forthcoming with details while she was trying to protect Gavin. Which I thought was certainly understandable, and made her more relatable for me.

Jon turned out to be a solid, stand up guy even though he was sometimes surrounded by people who seemed to have an agenda. I loved that this was written from multiple points of view so we got to see how Jon saw Andrea. Like any alpha male, he liked that she was tough and could take care of herself, but he was conflicted when she put herself in harm’s way. That was also a point of contention between them, but it did lead to some very fiery scenes, both verbally and physically, so it worked out well for us readers. I thought the ending definitely fit with how the story progressed and we did get to see it all finish on a happy note. Well, maybe not so happy for the criminals…

If you’re looking for a suspense-filled novel with a complex plot, interesting characters, and a solid love story, look no further than Far Gone.

Book Info:

Published April 15th 2014 by Gallery Books

To save her only brother, Andrea Finch must face down a criminal mastermind, the FBI, and her own demons in this thrilling novel from the author of the bestselling Tracers series.

Police detective Andrea Finch is a rising star in her department until a split-second decision derails her career. Disgraced and disillusioned, she’s on leave from her job when she gets an urgent call from her younger brother. She’d prefer to ignore his latest plea for cash, but this time instinct tells her something is very wrong. Andrea’s search for answers takes her to a dusty Texas border town where danger lurks in plain sight and nothing is quite what it seems.

FBI agent Jon North is working undercover in west Texas investigating an unsolved murder that may be linked to a broader plot. But when the evidence points to Andrea’s brother, Jon finds that persuading the stubborn cop to help will be harder than cracking his toughest case.

Andrea must find a way to do what’s right while protecting her only sibling. As the clock ticks down on a deadly plot, Andrea and Jon race to confront a heartless killer who will stop at nothing to deliver a final, terrifying message.