Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jerjen

*Beware of possible Spoilers*

Grace Courtemanche is a state prosecutor for Cypress Bend, Florida.  She is a tough, no-nonsense woman who hates to lose but who has a big heart.  She is on vacation but she really is not getting much of a rest.  She receives a phone call from a young girl that says she is being buried alive and desperately needs Grace’s help.  Grace is in a race against a crazy killer and the clock to save the young girl before times run out.  And although Grace does not know it yet, this is only Level One.  There are three Levels in the Game, and then the finale.

Hatch Is a FBI crisis negotiator who is in Cypress Bend to meet with a teenage son he never knew he had and to help straighten out his life. He knows how to do crisis intervention but he does not have a clue how to help his son.  He is also Grace’s ex-husband.  When he sees Grace and hears about the first abduction, he does not hesitate to offer his help and the help of his entire team to find the buried girl.

Besides finding the buried girl and the psycho that buried her,  there are also two bodies that are discovered on Grace’s property during renovations.  The remains are that of a woman and child.  Grace has no idea how they ended up on her property or who they are.

There is also a murder in Kentucky of an elderly couple vacationing.  When the detective follows the trail and clues to find the murderer, he ends up in Cypress Bend.  Are all the murders related, and if they are, how are they related?

The suspense in this book is non-stop.  There are so many twists and turns thrown in to keep the reader off-balance.  At times, the suspense and tension feel palpable.  I just had to keep reading to see what would happen next.  The writing style is descriptive and lends itself to complete suspense.  The storyline is well written and the plot is very complex but not complicated.

The romance aspect of this book is secondary to the suspense, but it is still present and well written.  Grace and Hatch have a history, and they both still care about each other.  But they each have different needs: Grace needs permanence and roots planted, Hatch needs the sea and freedom.  That was the problem with their marriage, and nothing has changed.  Or has it, now that Hatch has a son?

The characters are well-developed, well rounded and three dimensional.  All of the characters feel realistic and could be people you would want to be friends with.  Hatch and his son Alex’s relationship seemed very realistic and is one that readers with teenagers can relate to.  Every character has an important part to play in the story and the way they were woven together was excellent.

I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who enjoys suspense.  It is very well written and full of tension, twists and turns.  It has everything I look for in a suspense book, twists and turns, tension and surprises.  The ending blew me away and I really enjoyed that.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*