FBI Agent Falls in Love

Reviewed by Phee Paradise
An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon

With a sniper shooting in the first chapter, An Eye for an Eye starts with a promise of action. But it quickly bogs down in the relationship of the two main characters. Their instant rapport based on a twenty year old romance, and their memories of that time, are interspersed with the search for the would-be killer. They each rehash their feelings for each other and their fears about rekindling their love, while FBI agents look for clues. I’m not a big fan of flashbacks, but I found myself wishing Hannon had used one or two to catch us up and move on to the story at hand.

The characters are compelling and you have to like them. But as the tough FBI agent shows his softer side, he also reveals that he has wandered far from his childhood faith. His love interest, who is a committed Christian, is concerned about his soul, but doesn’t worry about her own relationship with an unbeliever. She sees a wonderful man and is pleased that her faith opens his heart to begin seeking the Lord again. But his return to faith is not explicit and I wanted to have a motherly chat with her about the problems I’ve seen in marriages between believers and unbelievers.

But there is a killer to catch, and as the romance progresses, so does the investigation. The FBI and police actions ring true, including some tedious detective work, as they follow a limited number of clues. The strength of the book lies in the brief glimpses we are given of the shooter. As the investigation progresses so does our knowledge about him and his motives. In the end I found myself hoping he would get some help; mercy as well as justice.

It’s a good crime story, but prepare yourself for lots of romantic scenes and a lot of introspection by the main characters.

Pros: Well plotted crime investigation with just enough clues to keep you going. A very good depiction of the perpetrator.

Cons: Repetitive descriptions of the characters’ feelings.

Available September 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.