Operation Second Chance

Very good book. The story begins on the fifth anniversary of Greg Bonner’s death. His daughter Amanda is at the cemetery, remembering her father when Quinn and Hayley Foxworth arrive. Quinn was there when Greg was killed in the line of duty, a bystander who got involved, and has been a part of Amanda’s life ever since. They are joined by a fourth person, but this one is not welcomed by Amanda. Adam was Greg’s partner and Amanda holds him responsible for her father’s death. She is vocal about her dislike and disdain for him, but it is no match for the way Adam feels about himself. Witnessing Amanda’s anger and Adam’s self-disgust was heartbreaking.

When Quinn and Hayley visit with Amanda later, Cutter goes exploring in the house. Somehow it isn’t surprising that he points the way to a hidden flash drive, concealed by Amanda’s father. The next morning, Quinn calls a meeting at Foxworth to discuss what was found on the flash drive, including calling Adam. Encoded notes indicate that Greg was working on an investigation on his own when he was killed, but neither Adam nor any of Greg’s friends have any idea what it was. As Foxworth begins to investigate it, Adam and Amanda both prepare to go home. On the way, Adam witnesses a hit-and-run on Amanda’s car, leading him and Quinn to believe that Amanda is in danger.

The development of the relationship between Adam and Amanda was very interesting, especially at the beginning. Amanda makes her dislike of Adam clear, and Adam believes he deserves every bit of it. I had a bit of a problem with Amanda at this point because Adam puts his life on hold to help protect her and she shows little to no appreciation for it. I hurt for Adam because he lost everything that terrible night – his friend and partner was killed, he suffered a career-ending injury and the woman he started to have feelings for said unbearably cruel things to him. As the days go on, Amanda softens a little bit as memories of her father’s comments and praise of Adam come back to her, and she realizes that the sparks she felt five years ago are still there. I thought she deserved every bit of the guilt she felt when she discovered how wrong she was about the events of that night. As the days went on and they spent more time together, those sparks continued to grow. Though Amanda’s belief in Adam’s guilt had disappeared, Adam was still mired in his belief that he was responsible. I loved seeing Amanda’s attempts to show him he was wrong, but it took an unexpected revelation to fully convince him. The ending was beautiful, with an extremely emotional scene at the cemetery.

I loved following the process of the investigation. From the first attack on Amanda onward, the intensity grew at a steady pace. There were frustrating times when leads didn’t pan out, but no one gave up. I loved that it was an offhand comment that broke the case open. When Adam and Amanda showed what they found out to Quinn and the others, things really started to pop. I loved seeing Foxworth do what it does best, bringing people together to right a wrong. The final confrontation was so satisfying in the way it happened. I especially enjoyed seeing Gavin de Marco again and watching him at work.

As always in this series, outside of the main couple, my favorite character is Cutter the dog. At this point, nothing he does surprises me, though it is always fun to see other people’s reactions. At one point Adam says, “I’ve been watching him work for a couple of weeks now. If you told me he could fly, I’d only wonder how, not if.” I loved the description of Cutter giving Quinn and Haley his “fix it” look when he first encountered Adam and Amanda. He also has a well-deserved reputation at Foxworth as a matchmaker. This was amply demonstrated by his tendency to “herd” both Adam and Amanda where he thought they should be. He has an uncanny instinct for those who need help, and for approaching danger. I loved seeing him go from playful pup to snarling protector in the blink of an eye.

Someday I am going to start at the beginning and read the whole series from start to finish. But before I do, I really want to see Rafe get his story.