Marine sniper Isaiah (“Zane”) Boone is home from Afghanistan with more than a few ghosts. Try as he might to settle back into civilian life in small-town West Virginia, he can’t escape the conviction he’s being followed. Both Zane’s ex-wife and his psychologist claim he’s paranoid, and he can’t prove he’s not. Hoping to outrun his misery, he sets his romantic sights on the irresistible Molly McClure.
A successful wedding coordinator at the illustrious Greenbrier Resort, Molly has had plenty of wealthy men willing to open their wallets and hearts for her. But when Zane strides into the upscale Greenbrier lobby with his lumberjack boots and his troubled eyes, the attraction she’s felt since high school reawakens—and she’s willing to go way out of her comfort zone to pursue it.
When Molly becomes an innocent target, Zane realizes too late that his malevolent stalkers are very real. As a net of vengeance tightens around them, Zane gears up for a fight to the death…and Molly has just one chance to prove she can be far more than a pretty face.
SERIES: Hemlock Creek Suspense
GENRE: Inspirational Appalachian Romantic Suspense
RELEASE DATE: October 2017
PAGES: 120
Other Books In This Series
Heather Day Gilbert packs a lot of action and suspense into her novellas! Undercut may be shorter than a full-length novel but it’s not at all lacking in character development or tension. I will say, though, after reading Undercut and its predecessor Out of Circulation (which is still my fave of the two), I don’t really think I want to physically visit the fictional small town of Hemlock Creek anytime soon. It seems to attract its fair share of really dangerous bad guys 😉 Visiting it via the safety of fiction? Yes please!
Right from the start, Zane Boone is an extremely compelling character. A former Marine sniper, he thinks he’s being stalked but his ex-wife says it’s just his PTSD and threatens to cut off visitation with his daughter. Zane is also starting to wonder if it’s all in his head, but when the stakes escalate he can’t deny the truth.
Molly McClure, I was less fond of going into this read. I didn’t care for her all that much in Out of Circulation, although she redeems herself a bit in the end. In Undercut, she grew on me though 🙂 and by the end of this novella she had me solidly in her corner! Great character growth from Out of Circulation through Undercut.
Another character I really enjoy is Molly and Kate’s brother Brandon. He makes me smile every time he’s on the page, and I can’t wait for his story which is coming up in Deadlocked. Speaking of Kate, I loved checking in with her and Ace, two more of my faves in this series. (Side note: Ace Calhoun looks an awful lot like Henry Cavill)
Bottom Line: Undercut will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first word to the last. Edge-of-your-seat suspense, high-stakes action, and some surprising twists ensure you won’t be putting this book down until you’ve reached the end. Fortunately, it’s a quick read so you shouldn’t lose too much sleep 😉 A gentle message of faith fits organically into the story, and you’ll be solidly invested in the McClure family and their circle of friends.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 4.5 stars / Love it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion
Undercut will release in mid-October 2017
but it will first appear in a collection of thrillers from ten popular authors.
You can preorder KILL ZONE now for only $0.99!
HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winner and bestselling author, writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Born and raised in the West Virginia mountains, generational story-telling runs in her blood. Heather writes Viking historicals and Appalachian mystery/suspense. Publisher’s Weekly gave Heather’s Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is “an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.” Find out more on heatherdaygilbert.com
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What about you? What is a fictional (or real) setting that you love visiting in the pages of a book but wouldn’t want to stay there in real life?
Hey Carrie, great review! I haven’t yet read Heather’s contemporary books (I need to). I loved her Viking series!
Trisha! I didn’t realize you haven’t read my contemporaries! I hope you get a chance to sometime! 🙂
I still need to read the Viking series. Argh.
Heather is one of my faves! Love all her books and look forward to more.
Thanks so much, Pam! I so appreciate your support of my books. It was so enjoyable to discuss them with you when we met!
So I think it’s adorable that you like Brandon (the Dr. Pepper addict!). He’s a tall, red-headed drink of water, for sure. Just a bit of a temper he might have issues with…anyway, so glad you enjoyed and I’m glad Molly became more relatable in this one–she’s a diva in her own way, but I think she definitely finds her “better half” in this one, who will help her be ALL she can be. 🙂
Oops, that comment was meant for Carrie! About liking Brandon. 😉
Yes! I loved her growth in this book. And I cannot wait for Brandon’s story!
This book sounds so intriguing! I definitely need to get caught up on reading your books, Heather! I wish I had Carrie’s Superpower. I always thought I could read fairly fast until I met Carrie. Maybe my reading’s getting slower like everything else in my worn-out body. 🙁
Carrie–nice review, my BFFF! Only a couple of weeks now ’til we get to meet in actual life! 😀 Woohoo! So exciting!
Thanks, Winnie! I hope you get to read these–I think each of the novellas should take about 1-2 days to read, since they’re fairly short at 132-134 pages. 😉 And I hope you all have a blast at CFRR! Definitely on my radar as a conference I’d love to attend someday!
So what’s not to like about this story? Can’t wait to read it1
Right? It’s excellent!