I thought this book was fascinating. I grew up in North Dakota, where much of the story takes place, and I have heard people there jokingly speak of secession. It was interesting reading a book that makes it seem more plausible and it made me shudder to think of all the ramifications if it were to happen.
Erica Sparks once again finds herself with the inside scoop on a story of mind-blowing proportions. As the danger increases, so does her drive to find out and reveal the truth about the Bellamy’s and their “Take Back our Homeland” initiative. Erica is a classic workaholic who struggles to find time for her daughter and husband. I appreciate that this is shown realistically and isn’t glossed over as being okay. Erica feels the distance in her family and reaps the consequences. There is a glimmer of hope though for her in this regard. Still, Erica is not a particularly likeable character. She often thinks about how her success provides the money for this or that for her family. She just wasn’t very relatable.
While I thought the plot was interesting and had a good pace to it, there were a couple of writing style issues that I found peculiar. At times statements would be made that felt like an author’s side note. For example, “Erica only wears clip-ons—as a teenager there was enough pain at home, she wasn’t about to self-inflict more” (location 247). Also, the author likes to use uncommon words. It’s fine for someone who is reading on a kindle and can just click on the word to see the definition, but those reading a paperback may need to keep a dictionary handy for words like “insouciance,” “avuncular,” or “zeitgeist.”
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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