Heather’s Bookshelf: The Hunted: An RJ Rox Thriller
Author: Jo McCready
Released: 10/11/2020
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
“Nothing was ever as it seemed. Benjamin had been in the business long enough to know that what was portrayed to the outside world was rarely an accurate expression of the truth. It simply served a purpose. The truth was never a priority for most.”
“The Hunted” introduces the reader to RJ Rox, a new agent working for her uncle’s company as a high end investigative organization that’s not attached to any government entity. RJ is assigned her second case ever: a tech billionaire who died of suspicious circumstances and happened to be related to some very important people. In order to investigate she must return to Scotland, her birthplace that she has not visited since the death of her parents.
The murdered man’s brother-in-law, Governor Kowalski, suspects that although his death was ruled an accident, something was not right about the report. He hires the Kingfisher organization, run by RJ’s uncle, who reluctantly assigns her to the case. RJ returns to Scotland where she is assigned a reluctant partner. The pair settle into a small town, in order to investigate, and soon find themselves in a dangerous situation.
The story follows the investigation mostly through the eyes of RJ, allowing for insight into her character. She’s a driven and competitive young woman who doubts her abilities as a new agent. Her partner’s experience and confidence offsets her inexperience while also highlighting her unrealized strengths. The investigative process as well as the budding partnership make this an enjoyable journey.
Trigger Warning: Light adult language, murder, animal violence (hunting)
Overall, I really liked this story. I found it to be more mystery than thriller, but still enjoyed the ride. The two main characters were well-developed: each having their own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. The main villain did not have a very prominent role but still managed to come off as truly repugnant. Ultimately, the story developed into one about KARMA and I loved it. There’s something delicious about bad people getting their comeuppance, even if it is only in a book. I also appreciated that the mystery remained as such throughout the story and was not “dumbed down” for the audience. Finally, the setting in Scotland made for a unique and picturesque background to the mystery. I look forward to reading more of RJ’s adventures.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A mysterious death leads to a small town investigation...and a little karma
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