Fatal Exchange by Lisa Harris

About the book:  Desperate times create desperate people. And desperate people are dangerous . . .
Though Emily Hunt comes from a family of cops, the relatively quiet life of a high school teacher suits her just fine. She's saving up to buy a house, slowly moving forward after her brother's death, and settling into a life she loves. So the last person she wants to spend time with is Mason Taylor.

An undercover cop, Mason is enemy number one as far as her family is concerned. His involvement in the death of Emily's brother is still up in the air, and now he expects her to help him with a case. Mason has been working with one of her students, Rafael Cerda, whose brother has been kidnapped by a drug cartel. And with time running out to meet their demands, Rafael is getting desperate.

My thoughts:  I was anticipating reading Fatal Exchange; but when I began reading, I had some difficulty getting my mind wrapped around the characters and the development of the story. It caught my attention, however, from the moment that a student with a gun walked into a classroom and took teacher and students hostage. Why would this capture my attention? I have worked in education for over 35 years, and the real-life episodes of this type of drama that pepper the news creates a sense of fear and worry in my heart. It is the nightmare of every caring adult involved in the educational process of students – children – no matter their age. So yes, the author now has my attention.

This book obviously builds on the lives of characters from the first book in the series. Once your mind senses who is who and their past experiences with each other, then the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit in place. Even though the story line of a school hostage situation is attention grabbing, the story doesn't seem to flow well. I did find it interesting. Without engaging in "spoilers," I'll; just say that the book leaves you questioning; and it is obvious that the author has placed a hook to make her readers return for book three in the series.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of Fatal Exchange from Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. No compensation was received for this review.