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Griffith Laughton is a mercenary. He's not the typical ex-military-now-for-hire type found in many romantic suspense titles. He has an actual job with an actual group, Avalon. Avalon is a top secret organization that specializes in tracking down stolen art and uncovering forgeries. The career sounds genteel, but the reality is very different. Griff and his team carry guns, make helicopter rescues, hunt bad guys and engage in firearm battles on a regular basis. The last firefight left team members dead and Griff's nemesis Rainert von Lahr alive and lurking.

Griff has another specialty - he's a man known for doing anything to get the job done. If the job calls for him to lie, cheat or strip down in the middle of a crowded restaurant in front of a group of art smugglers, then Griff's the guy. Using an innocent woman as bait and bedding her as part of the operation also works for Griff. Or, it does until he meets Fiona Kennedy. Five years after her husband goes missing and after he finally is declared dead, bookshop owner and literature expert Fiona is ready for a fling. In walks Griff. He has a fraudulent manuscript and a plan to set up Fiona as bait and to lure von Lahr out of hiding. The other goal is to figure out if Fiona's husband really is dead. Griff and Fiona quickly land in bed. Dodging gunfire isn't far behind. The rest of the book is spent on the run and in pursuit.

The fast pace of the book starts with a wobble or two. The Prologue introduces Avalon and sets out the reason for Griff's lifetime obsession with tracking down von Lahr. The sequence lacks flow. Griff's change of plans, which include a strange stripdown to entice a male smuggler and distract everyone from the weapon in his pants - the one with bullets - have an odd feel. From there, the action bounces five years in the future. There is an intial issue with the opening passages that introduce Fiona in Chapter Two. They tend to be a little heavy on description - i.e., everything is described - and may pull some readers out of the story since it happens in several paragraphs/pages in a row. For example: "...she arranged herself in an indolent slouch at the desk of her Los Angeles bookstore. Nora Jones crooned from the CD player and the piquant smell of brewing espresso mingled with the pungent scent of old rooms and even older books." [underlines added] To the extent this is an issue, the problem can be forgiven as the story takes off.

From the beginning, Griff's intense frustration with what his life has become is clear. Meeting Fiona and becoming involved with her highlights the shallowness of his life and the few relationships he has with other people. Albert does a convincing job of showing Griff's life on the edge of humanity. He uses people, knows he's doing it but can't figure out how to pull out of the tailspin. This growing dissatifaction lends Griff's character a sense of realism. He is a very tough guy with a touch of vulnerability. Albert doesn't try to make Griff perfect or even semi-perfect from the beginning. He's flawed and his transition to something else is slow and believable.

One of the many strengths of Hide In Plain Sight is the sense that while the plot is not particularly new, it does not feel recycled either. In part that is due to Griff's intensity, but Fiona's grounded nature helps as well. She is neither a kick-ass heroine or a weepy one. She's normal. She reacts how you think you might react in her situation. She wants companionship, is horrified to find out the man she chose to assist her in that venture lied to her, and refuses to sulk or morph into a superwoman. Extreme character growth does not happen for Fiona, but that aspect does not take away from the story because of the emphasis on Griff.

Details of von Lahr's past and his connection to people Fiona knows hint at the previous books in the series. Other than in the Epilogue, the appearances of these previous characters are limited and occurs mostly in discussion. The plot centers on Griff, Fiona, Fiona's husband (and the dead or alive question) and von Lahr. The story does not wander into the other books or, if it does, the wandering is limited so that someone not familiar with the previous books can easilly keep up and not become distracted by trying to figure out what went before.

One of the odd realizations at the end of the book may come from not being exactly sure what happened in the approximate 340 pages just read. Steamy sex scenes and a racing storyline are present here. A somewhat empty man becomes hero-worthy. A wrapped-up ending and full explanation of the interconnecting pieces are missing here. Despite this confusion, Albert presents a compelling tale of lovers on the run. Whatever they are running from may not be clear, but there is another Avalon book on the horizon.

Final Thoughts: A fast-paced suspense where the journey of the not-so-ordinary hero overcomes other inherent flaws.

You can visit Michele Albert here and buy this book here and here.