Review of "The Line Between Here and Gone" [57]

The Line Between Here and Gone 
by Andrea Kane
Harlequin MIRA, ISBN 978-0778313373
June 26, 2012, 400 pages

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When photojournalist Amanda Gleason met real estate developer Paul Everett at a local political event out in the Hamptons on NY's Long Island, she through she had met the love of her live. Then he disappears, possibly the victim of a violent crime, although a body was never found. Police seem to think he is dead but Amanda is not convinced.

Then she finds out she is expecting his child and wishes he was there to share her joy..until just weeks after the baby, Justin, is born and the doctors find that he suffer from an immunodeficiency disease and he needs a compatible stem cell transplant to survive. For medical reasons, Amanda can not be a donor and a match can not be found. As the baby grows sicker and sicker and all hope seems lost, a friend in Washington DC sends her a grainy cell phone picture of a man who appears to be the missing Paul. Is it possible he is not dead? And it it possible that he could be found and possibly be the donor for the son he does not even know exists. Whatever she is going to do, it must be done quickly if there is help of saving little Justin.

So when you need the best investigators, you hire Forensic Instincts, a private firm introduced in Kane's first book in the series, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice. If you read the first book..and you should, it was quite good..you will be familiar with them all, but if you have not, don't be concerned. Everyone will be introduced quite thoroughly and you will soon be up to speed on Forensic Instincts and their various talents. They are a great team, and the interplay and balance between the characters is very well done. Behaviorist Casey Woods is their leader, Patrick Lynch, is a former FBI agent, Marc Devereaux an ex SEAL, Ryan McKay the techo-wizard, Claire Hedgleigh an “intuitive” and Hero is the human-scent-evidence dog. Even team needs a great dog, right?!
Together they make up the team and are immediately on the trail of the missing developer and they pledge to find him, whether he wants to be found or not and no matter who else may be looking for him. What started out as a fairly simple missing person, maybe a love affair gone bad, soon leads places quite different, quite dangerous.

The story is set in NYC (I would love to see the house Forensic Instincts is headquartered in) and Washington DC, with the rich and powerful and a few politicians, both local and federal. But the most interesting setting is in the various towns that make up the Hamptons, the playground of NY's rich and famous,  and especially a glimpse into the tensions between the locals and the many investors that would like to develop the area and maybe ruin the flavor of the towns.
Where money, big money, is at stake people are willing to do all sorts of things, bad things, illegal things, deadly things.
And, of course, all this is pitted against sweet baby Justin, whose very life hangs by a thread and for whom time is running out, minute by precious minute.

As I said, I enjoyed the first book in the series and I think this one is every bit as good. It is full of action and moves along at a fast, compelling pace, with a great and rather surprising ending. Good characters, a believable plot and an interesting setting..not to mention a good dog...make me recommended this one.

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My thanks to the publisher and Meryl Moss Media Relations for providing a copy for review.

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