Unplanned and Second Hand

"You can't run forever" reads the adage inscribed on the cover. Elizabeth, or Abigail as we come to know her, is the she who is running. Who she is running from: none other than the Russian Mafia.

A witness to a double-murder at 16, Elizabeth carries a testimony that the organization will go to any length to ensure she does not give. Unable to rely on the authorities to keep her safe, Elizabeth has no option but to hide where they can't find her.

A decade and a half later she lives as Abigail in the quiet rural town. Hidden behind security cameras, guns, a false identity and a large but loveable dog, she avoids people, and attaches herself to nothing and no one. No one, that is, until she catches the fancy of the local police chief, Brooks.

The plot then turns, tentatively at first, but with increasing sure-footedness, down the path of romance. The cloud of tension, although never quite dispersed, begins to ease as we realize that Abigail, with Brook's support, is ready to stop running, and start hunting.

The ending is unexpectedly quick - but nevertheless gripping, and the build-up is enjoyable. Abigail is an endearing character, whose exceptional intelligence and less-than-exceptional social skills remind one of the Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper. Her romance with Brooks is kept interesting by his attempts to scratch beneath the surface, and her conflict in deciding whether or not to let him.

Teeters on dragging at some points, but still keeps you interested. A good summer read: 4 stars