Run Girl by British writer Eva Hudson is the first of five novels in the Ingrid Skyberg FBI thriller series. I downloaded it from Amazon partly because I liked the plot and partly because it was free. As a rule I don’t purchase ebooks by new writers, at least not right away. But now that I have read the first adventure of special agent Skyberg, I'm curious to read the other four and see how her character develops and what she gets up to.
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Although Run Girl has been marked as a “thriller,” I thought it read more like young adult fiction and Ingrid Skyberg could have been Nancy Drew, only stronger and more sophisticated.
The young and attractive special agent is in London, for a dreary FBI training programme at Scotland Yard, when she is whisked away to the American embassy in a black sedan. Ingrid soon learns why. She must find an 18-year old missing girl before news of her disappearance leaks out and all hell breaks loose.
Rachel Whiiticker was accompanying her grandmother, US Secretary of State Jayne Whitticker, on a diplomatic trip to Paris when she decided to give her bodyguard the slip and run off to London, to meet secretly with her boyfriend and have a little adventure of her own.
The mandarins at the American embassy want to keep the crisis under wraps lest the political and diplomatic fallout of Rachel’s disappearance jeopardises a peace deal being brokered by her grandmother between warring African countries.
The young and attractive special agent is in London, for a dreary FBI training programme at Scotland Yard, when she is whisked away to the American embassy in a black sedan. Ingrid soon learns why. She must find an 18-year old missing girl before news of her disappearance leaks out and all hell breaks loose.
Rachel Whiiticker was accompanying her grandmother, US Secretary of State Jayne Whitticker, on a diplomatic trip to Paris when she decided to give her bodyguard the slip and run off to London, to meet secretly with her boyfriend and have a little adventure of her own.
The mandarins at the American embassy want to keep the crisis under wraps lest the political and diplomatic fallout of Rachel’s disappearance jeopardises a peace deal being brokered by her grandmother between warring African countries.
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| © www.evahudson.com |
There’s just one problem: the Secretary of State doesn’t know her favourite grandchild is missing.
Run Girl is a well-written story though it meanders through a series of false leads and hot pursuits as Ingrid Skyberg and Nicholas Angelis, a private security agent hired by the US embassy, race against time to track down Rachel and bring her back. The narrative is fast paced but it lacks the suspense and solidity that I expect in an FBI thriller. Still, I enjoyed the story. I thought it was inventive.
Recommended.
You can check out the book at Amazon and learn more about Eva Hudson and her books at her website.
Run Girl is a well-written story though it meanders through a series of false leads and hot pursuits as Ingrid Skyberg and Nicholas Angelis, a private security agent hired by the US embassy, race against time to track down Rachel and bring her back. The narrative is fast paced but it lacks the suspense and solidity that I expect in an FBI thriller. Still, I enjoyed the story. I thought it was inventive.
Recommended.
You can check out the book at Amazon and learn more about Eva Hudson and her books at her website.
Thanks for the review, Prashant. It does sound like a good plot.
ReplyDeleteElgin, you're welcome. I liked the basic premise of RUN GIRL but I thought the story lacked depth.
DeleteSounds good. I had not heard of this writer or series but it looks like it's worth checking out
ReplyDeleteCharles, it's a good yarn and worth reading.
DeleteI haven't heard of this author or series, but this does sound good - thanks for the review Prashant and for drawing it to our attention.
ReplyDeleteMoira, you're welcome. I hope to read the other books in this series.
DeleteA couple of years ago, I read the first book that this author wrote, The Loyal Servant. I first heard about that book at Sarah's blog, crimepieces. I liked it because it had strong female characters, and I liked the plot. A bit too thrillerish, but very good. I have another book of hers to read, but I have not tried this series.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I'm not familiar with Eva Hudson's fiction though I checked out her books on her website. I'll be following the Skyberg Files among other series.
DeleteThank you for the review and the link. It is still free and I downloaded it too. A new series for me.
ReplyDeleteMystica, you're welcome. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the book.
DeleteI read one of her short offerings last year and enjoyed it. This one sits on the kindle waiting. Glad you mostly enjoyed it, not sure when I will get there myself though.
ReplyDeleteCol, RUN GIRL is a quick read too. I polished it in two sittings; probably one in your case.
DeleteSo very glad you enjoyed this, Prashant! I think many of today's good crime novels and thrillers are just as appealing for adult readers as they are for the YA audience. And Ingrid Skyberg sounds like an interesting character.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margot. I'm amazed at the sheer number of new-age crime and thriller novels out there and there is just not enough time to read them. Ingrid Skyberg is an "interesting" character, I agree, and I'd like to see where she goes from here.
DeleteDear Prashant,
ReplyDeleteI apologize for contacting you this way but am new to the world of blogs and could not find your email. I thought you might enjoy my debut mystery, so am risking writing you about it in this space. If this infuriates you, please don't read on.
My first mystery, "The Girl who went Missing," came out on April 23rd. It is set in Mumbai, India, and though it has mystery written all over it, there is a sliver of romance as well. I wrote it to entertain readers but at the same time I wanted to highlight a socially pressing topic.
While it's never easy to convert a 245 page (89,616 words) novel into a few paragraphs, here is the synopsis:
When June Warner arrives in India to visit her sister Thalia, a trip to take her mind off her jilted engagement, she is greeted by the bright hot chaos of Mumbai but not her sister. She goes to the YMCA where Thalia is staying, only to find that she is not there.
Convinced that Thalia’s no-show is a sign that she is in danger, June begins a desperate search for her younger sister.
Police Commissioner Oscar D'Costa, scarred by the tragedies of his past, swears he will never again ignore his gut instinct when it comes to a missing girl. And with more and more dead foreign women being found in his precinct, he becomes convinced a conspiracy is at play.
Through the two worlds of American naiveté and Indian chaos, they must find the girl who went missing.
If this interests you, I would be delighted to send you a copy that is Kindle friendly. I do have some reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, if you choose to read them. Finally, I don't have a time frame for a review; you get to it when you get to it.
Thank you so much,
Ace Varkey
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WJBDQ22/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1429761715&sr=1-1&keywords=Ace+varkey+the+girl+who+went+missing
GR link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25101394-the-girl-who-went-missing?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b
FB link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ace-Varkey/979108745446338
Blog:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13604423.Ace_Varkey/blog
Dear Ace Varkey, thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. The plot of THE GIRL WHO WENT MISSING sounds very interesting and I admit that's partly because it is set in Mumbai where I was born and where I live. I'd like to read your mystery though I might not be in a position to review it immediately, owing to other commitments. My email is prashant(at)trikannad(dot)com
DeleteSounds good, Prashant. I'm leery of free ebooks as well unless I know the author's work. By the by, I recently downloaded THE SPANISH CAPE MYSTERY (I think that's the title) for 2 bucks from amazon. It's by Ellery Queen. You might enjoy this too. Not a bad deal.
ReplyDeleteYvette, RUN GIRL is a good story, in spite of the couple of reservations I had. I have not read THE SPANISH CAPE MYSTERY, but then I have never read Ellery Queen. Thanks for the recommendation.
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