Review: Unthinkable

Unthinkable by Nina Croft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Week 4 of Shameless lasts for several days. I've read Ms. Croft before and I enjoyed her writing. When I saw her name show up on the list of Shameless authors, I hoped to meet her. She is absolutely lovely in person. She is also good natured as she made it to Florida sans luggage. Oddly enough, someone took her to Walmart to shop for clothing and necessities instead of Target. I can't even. Suffice to say, she learned about People of Walmart first hand. Real life adventure aside, this story pulled me in so hard and fast.

I love speculative fiction. When there are plausible psychic powers, I'm even more intrigued. Who are these "Tribe" found in the heart of Africa? Jake Callahan, a young man who is somehow related to the Tribe also wants to know how he is related. Jake's life has been a series of half truths. Trying to figure out if he is really the good or bad guy is difficult as the kids he's grown up with and now are part of a psychic team with are dying left and right. He wrestles with his decision to be as ruthless as his enemy, his former handler.

This is a complex world with characters who are more than what the seem. Ms. Croft creates complicated characters who are not fully bad or good. She also sets them up with difficult decisions that come across as lose-lose. When lack of experience meets tough decisions, sometimes the character picks the wrong path. Several times, Jake is distracted by Christa, the woman who will get him to his end goal. He knows the truth is out there and Christa's father will help him find it.

These characters are a bit immature and it makes sense because they are essentially children. The oldest one is Jake and he's a mere 24. The mishaps that occur based on their decisions are believable because it is what a child would decide to do. This does make this story a bit frustrating for more experienced readers because they may want to yell out warnings to protect the kids. There is a lot to be protected from because this story seems to several groups all going against Jake and his small team of people. I'm hooked into this series and need to find out more. I immediately purchased the next two books in the series after reading this one. This is recommended to readers who enjoy new adult characters with a "x-files" type feel.