An Unlikely Hero is a pretty decent thriller from Tierney James and kicks off a range known as the Enigma Series.
Tessa Scott is lovely housewife three children and in a somewhat trained marriage. Terrorists are camped nearby, and a bomb ends up in her backyard after her family leaves her behind while they head out for vacation. A secret government agency known as Enigma foil the plot and neutralize the bomb, however Tessa is swept up in the operation. The team is led by the mysterious, tortured Captain Chase Hunter, who awakens some temptations for the surprisingly resourceful Tessa Scott. Meanwhile, her husband and children become unwittingly targets themselves, and Tessa is going to need some help protecting her loved ones as well as her own life.
I actually met this author during a book signing recently and decided to take a chance. There is a little bit of a cliche setup here with the characters, but I actually started to be more forgiving of that the more I delved into this novel.
The relationships between the main characters does take some atypical turns for this genre of novel. In spite of how the novel begins, there is the affirmation of marital commitment and forgiveness woven into the stories, and some of the characters are a bit more redeemable than expected as the story unfolds.
There are a few scenes that feel a bit bogged down with exposition, but it’s not as challenging as reading something from a century ago.
In spite of the genre and the violence depicted, I got the sense that Tierney James is someone of faith, which did come out in a way that was subtle yet profound. I certainly found that to be pleasantly surprising.
There are times when Tessa and Captain Hunter sort of irritate each other in the midst of their forced alliance, and the banter between them was rather witty. I also found some of the other team members’ reaction to Tessa’s presence in this caper to be somewhat interesting. A cantankerous elderly neighbor of Tessa’s gets swept up into the chaos as well, and he turns out to be more relevant than expected as well.’
‘Some elements of the plot seem a bit ludicrous, but that’s to be expected. I found it to be more enjoyable than I expected. The author has an acknowledgement to those who work in the shadows to keep our nation safe, and I certainly can concur with that sentiment.
It has been a while since I have joined Jack Reacher on one of his exploits, so I think I will next see how authors Lee and Andrew Child have dropped him In Too Deep.
Reviews, Musings, and Other Things... 