Book #1: Out of the Shadow and Across Strange Lines
The early morning opening procedures at a New England ski area become very unusual when a ski patroller finds the dead body of an obviously murdered man lying frozen on the trail.
As the Vermont State Police arrive and begin their investigation, they find that the dead man was a New York State policeman, working as a United Nations security investigator, following the trail of a missing representative.
Because of the murdered man’s professional identity, a report of the murder finds its way through various local, state, and federal channels.
It coincidently turns out the lead ski patroller at the scene, while on active duty, was a trained U.S. Navy SEAL, although currently in the Navy Reserves as a civilian ski patroller. When on active duty, he was attached to a specialized Navy security investigative team, and with his experience, he will be needed again.
After reactivating into the regular Navy, he returns to his previous station and is assigned to this case. He joins forces with a local woman Vermont State Trooper and his previous seal team members in Washington DC, and they work together to follow and find out where the murdered man’s investigation had been compromised.
As detail after detail shows itself, it becomes obvious that there is much more to the case than originally thought. It didn’t take long to find that it was a unique group of people, one of whom worked at the United Nations and was a vicious killer, and others who were involved with a crackpot college Professor and Political advisor who had strange ideas about using socialism to enrich himself.
As the investigation progressed, it became two separate cases; the trail quickly turned from a local state murder case into a Federal international chase to rescue and save a kidnapped woman.
A detailed investigation shows the SEAL team where she is, and they travel to Italy and rescue her. She returns to the United Nations, only to find that her Kidnapper, who had been there that morning, had learned she was rescued and escaped.
when they find where he had gone, they follow him back to Vermont and learn of his various connections there.
The twists and turns that involve murder, kidnapping, international energy sources, illegal finances, international transfer of money, and political entrapments make this a case of intrigue and corruption in the highest levels of education and government.
ISBN
(International Standard Book Number)
Paperback 978-1-9845-6459-7
Hardcover 978-1-9845-6460-3
eBook 978-1-9845-6458-0
Hollywood Book Reviews
Out of the Shadows and Across Strange Lines has a little of everything for the reader looking for variety. There is action, suspense, murder, and mystery all wrapped up in this book, which could be considered a political thriller. Many elements of this book feel familiar, though this is a 100% original story. The familiarity makes for a comfortable read that is easy to connect with without your brain working overdrive to try to dissect the story as you go.
The story begins with a dead body, but no one is quite sure how it got to where it was found. It quickly unfolds into a suspenseful murder mystery that may involve a politician at one of the highest levels of government. Although this is a work of fiction, it is pretty obvious the author took inspiration from a real-life politician, which some may consider controversial. While there aren’t wild shootouts and bench-clearing brawls, in this story, the characters don’t get a lot of downtime as they travel around the world trying to unravel the mystery and save a kidnapped woman in the process. The third act of the book wraps up the story nicely with a slight twist that most readers will enjoy no matter how they feel about the political undertones of the book.
The book is relatively linear without much bouncing around to different characters, which makes it incredibly simple to digest and also makes it a great book to be able to set down and pick up whenever. Mr. Christie has written a down-to-earth book that is clearly a work of fiction but isn’t so outlandish that it couldn’t be true. His understated writing style offers some buoyancy to the darker content of the book, so it never feels as heavy as it could in some chapters. If there is one limitation to this book, it is that there could be more character development, but this is a series, and the author has many more opportunities to fill in the backstory. Out of the Shadows and Across Strange Lines is the perfect length for an action mystery, and most readers will consume it in only a few days.
If you are a ravenous reader who is always looking for a new story to enjoy, this is the book for you. Nothing in this story is groundbreaking, but it is a decent story with all the hallmarks a person looks for in this genre. The author has some clear political leanings, but they are within the bounds of opinion and never cross the line into propaganda, which is a little refreshing in this day and age.
Out of the Shadows and Across Strange Lines is a solid story with no hiccups from a new author. The good news is that Richard B. Christie has gone on to create many more books in this series, so if you enjoy this book, you can continue to enjoy the series.
