Review by Susan
Lynn Gardner, the author of a series of precious stone suspense stories (Emeralds and Espionage to Topaz and Treachery), continues a new series about Maggie McKenzie, an adventuresome young journalist. Vanished, the first book, was previously published and has just been released in paperback. The story begins as Maggie reports for a new job as a reporter for a small-town California newspaper and discovers she has an apparent double who vanished several years before under mysterious circumstances. She decides to investigate while she is traveling on assignment for the newspaper, and with the help of Dr. Floyd Flynn, a research psychologist who is drawn into the mystery and to Maggie, she discovers a strange connection to the missing girl which spurs her onward in her quest. In Pursued, the second Maggie McKenzie mystery just recently released, Maggie flies to England on assignment and uses theopportunity to try to clarify questions about her family left unanswered the end of Vanished. In the process she unwittingly becomes involved in uncovering a far-reaching terrorist scheme and becomes a target to be eliminated.
Maggie comes across to me as perky, adventuresome and very persistent when it comes to solving
mysteries that intrigue her. The author keeps the plot moving quickly with lots of action and suspense. A certain amount of suspension of disbelief may be necessary to swallow some of the plot twists, but I liked how Maggie was true to her beliefs and standards even under duress and turned to faith and prayer to help her through. These two novels are both fast-paced fun escapes into adventure and suspense.
