Review: Untouchable

Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Highly satisfying end to this romantic suspense trilogy! The third foster brother, Jack Lancaster is up front and center with his story. I loved Jack. Jack, like his foster brothers, is an honourable man with a traumatizing past. What I loved most about Jack is how impressive his minds works. The constant answers with probability both amused and charmed me. His unique way to figure out issues through lucid dreaming appeals to me. As a person who both lucid dreams and at times solves issues through dreaming, I can understand Jack's method. I wish I was able to do as much as Jack because his brain power is at a much higher level. To match Jack's character, Ms. Krentz gives us Winter Meadows.

Winter may come across as a woo-woo free age fruit loop, but that would be inaccurate. Winter's history as it unfolds is an equality tragic one. My heart breaks for children whose parents pass away and there are no plans in place to take care of the child. The depression hell hole of many foster situations is alarming. There are hundreds of foster children every year who die because of neglect or abuse. Ms. Krentz lightly touches upon the horrors of a child abandoned. She doesn't dwell on it and bring a reader down. Instead, she gives a potential positive spin and hope of a better life for these foster kids. I can only hope life would imitate art in this instance. I digress.

In this third installment which can be read as a standalone, Jack's nemesis is back and the end game begins. I do recommend the previous books be read to better appreciate the gravity of the situation and clear understanding of why this manhunt is so critical. As Jack hunts for Quinton Zane, Zane's own history unfolds and it is also a dark one. It seems the experiences of a child during the formative years can define how they will become as an adult. The story builds slowly to the climatic showdown. The action scenes occur in short bursts. I felt as if the story spent more time with relationship building and character development. At times, I wanted the story to move along so I could get to the action parts. Although, the secondary characters do add an extra layer of complexity. I particularly enjoyed the cross reference with Arizona Snow and Eclipse Bay. This was a surprise and it felt like a homecoming as I recognized both the place and a pivotal character, Arizona.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The ending came a bit swifter than anticipated. It ended beautifully with all lose ends tied off. This romantic suspense is recommended to all readers.

*provided by NetGalley

EXCERPT

She heard the key in the lock. The door opened. The creep was silhouetted against the light of the hallway fixture, a balding, big-bellied man dressed in an undershirt and trousers.

He did not see her sitting there in the shadows of the upper bunk. He moved into the room, heading toward the lower bunk.

He reached down and started to pull the covers off of Alice’s thin, huddled body.

“Go away, Mr. Tyler,” Winter said. She switched on the penlight and began to move it in an intricate pattern. “You’re not supposed to be here. You don’t want to be here.”

She kept her voice calm; soothing but firm.

Startled, Tyler halted and instinctively averted his gaze from the narrow beam of light.

“What the hell?” In the next breath he softened his voice to a drunken croon. “What’s the matter, honey? Couldn’t sleep? I know it’s hard adjusting to a new house and a new family. But you’re in a good home now. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of you and Alice.”

“Go away, Mr. Tyler,” Winter said again. She kept the penlight moving, faster now.

Tyler was distracted by the light. He stared at; looked away and then gazed at it again.

“I’m going to take poor little Alice to my bedroom,” he said. “She’s afraid to be alone.”

“Alice is not alone,” Winter said. “I’m here with her. Go away. You don’t want to be in this room. It’s hard to breathe when you come in here. You can’t catch your breath. Your heart is pounding harder and harder. You wonder if you’re having a heart attack.”

Tyler did not respond. He was transfixed by the motion of the light. He started to wheeze.

“When I say Winnie-the-Pooh you will realize that you can’t breathe at all when you’re in this room,” Winter said. “You will leave. That is the only way to ease the terrible pain in your chest. If you stay in this room you will have a heart attack. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Tyler’s voice was now that of a man in a trance; expressionless.

The rasping and wheezing got louder.

“Winnie-the-Pooh,” Winter said in a tone of soft command.

Tyler came out of the trance gasping for air.

“Can’t breathe,” he said, his voice hoarse with panic. He swung around and lurched out into the hallway. “My heart. Can’t breathe.”

He staggered down the hallway and stumbled toward the kitchen. Winter jumped down to the floor.

“Winter?” Alice whispered from the shadows of the lower bunk.

“It’s okay,” Winter said. “But you have to get up and get dressed. We’re going to leave now.”

A heavy thud sounded from the kitchen. It was followed by an unnatural silence.

“What happened?” Alice asked.

“Stay here,” Winter said. “I’ll go take a look.”

She went to the door. With the penlight in hand she moved cautiously down the hall. Alice climbed out of bed but she did not wait in the bedroom. She followed Winter.

Tyler was sprawled on the kitchen floor. He did not move. His phone was on the floor close to his hand. Panic arced through Winter. She wondered if she had killed the creep.

Alice came up beside her and took her hand, clinging very tightly. She looked at Tyler’s motionless body.

“Is he dead?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Winter said. “I’ll check.”

She squeezed Alice’s hand and then freed her fingers to cross the kitchen floor. She stopped a short distance away from Tyler and tried to think about what to do next. In the movies and on television people checked the throat of an unconscious person to find out if there was a pulse.

Gingerly she reached down and put two fingers on Tyler’s neck. She thought she detected a faint beat but she couldn’t be certain. He might not be dead yet but it was possible that he was dying. It was also possible that he was simply unconscious and would recover at any moment. Winter knew that neither outcome would be good for Alice or herself.

Posted by arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Jayne Ann Krentz, 2019.