December 9, 2024
Lost memories, bad actors, and natural disasters animate Goddard’s uneven latest (Hidden in the Night). Former U.S. military photographer Remi Grant is in Germany when a shooting at a café and an explosion a few hours later land her in the hospital without any memory of what happened between the incidents. When a shady stranger comes by the hospital to question her about it, she’s spooked and flees the country. She takes refuge at the Cedar Trails Lodge, a retreat in Washington State, where she hopes to recover her lost memory. Instead, she faces a series of increasingly perilous threats—ominous notes, lodge guests who might be spies, and eventually a catastrophic storm that forces her to rely on her faith (and fellow guest Hawk Beckett, a former military pilot) to survive. Individual scenes thrum with tension, but the narrative as a whole is undermined by contrivances. Remi’s memory loss in particular feels like a plot device, especially when she suddenly recovers the entire episode at the height of the present-day action. The result is an intermittently propulsive yet poorly constructed puzzle.
November 15, 2024
Former army photographer Remi Grant struggles with amnesia, brought on by a traumatic event she struggles daily to remember, while former military pilot Hawk Beckett just wants to protect her and find his brother. Brought together by a storm after Hawk saves Remi's life, they try to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. They face danger at every turn as outside forces work to push them over the edge. Hawk is convinced that his brother is the one behind the threats to Remi's life. He hopes he can save Remi in time, but the reemergence of her memories may mean even more danger for her and those she works with. In this fast-paced and thrilling story, the secrets they uncover may cost them everything, even their lives. Can Remi remember in time to save the one person she thinks she can love forever, or is remembering going to cost her everything? VERDICT Fans of Lynette Eason and Nancy Mehl will love this thrill-a-minute ride from Goddard (Hidden in the Night).--Jane Blue
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