Meg didn’t understand at first. The man was smiling, and his pleasant expression and tone of voice didn’t match his words. “We’ve taken your daughter hostage.” She was in the parking garage beneath her condo, hauling a box of files from the back of her car, when he approached her. She wasn’t even a hundred feet away from Ramon, the building’s security guard. The smiling man must’ve seen the confusion in her eyes, because he said it again. In a Kazbekistani dialect. “We have your daughter, and if you don’t follow our orders, we’ll kill her. — Page 1
The Defiant Hero is the second book of the Troubleshooters series, and I read it in March this year. I totally enjoyed the experience—a great mix of intense adventure and a love story involving a group of elite U.S. Navy SEALs.
In this instalment, the story focuses on Navy SEAL Lieutenant Junior Grade John Nilsson and translator Meg Moore. John hasn’t seen Meg in years, but when she calls for help, memories of their time together come flooding back. But what’s shocking, though, is that she’s not the victim but rather the person who is holding a foreign ambassador hostage.
John doesn’t know that Meg is being threatened and put in a deadly situation. Her daughter and mother have been kidnapped by the Extremists and issued death threats. Meg has no choice but to meet the demands of the terrorists, even if it means having to kill someone. The only person Meg knows who could help her is John, so she very cleverly puts in her demand to only want to deal with John and nobody else.
That is how John is summoned by the FBI to negotiate the hostage situation. Things get very intense from here. John senses that something is amiss in the Meg-as-terrorist situation, but he still has his doubts. He is gambling with his career if he helps Meg to escape. Meg is very stubborn, and John has to work very hard to break through to her.
Having read The Warrior Elite by Dick Couch (which gives a good account of “Hell Week” and the other phases of training in the making of a SEAL), I appreciated the story even more. The hardship John goes through in the saga with Meg in the terrorist situation is reflected in this book. I also admire Meg’s mother for her courage while in captivity. She tells her granddaughter the love story of her life and her involvement in the rescue during World War II. One of the terrorists who keeps watch over them is touched by the story, and that somewhat “softens” him towards them.
Also, the secondary character, Sam Starrett, who is also a Navy SEAL, is growing on me. I can’t wait to read more about him and Alyssa Locke, with whom he always has “issues.” They do not see eye to eye, and tension is always in the air. But sparks are flying for sure. Just you wait and see.
The verdict? I loved it! Suzanne Brockmann does such a good job weaving everything together; I didn’t feel burdened by the multiple characters in the series.
The Defiant Hero is a joint reading with Julia, who introduced me to the series. Dear Julia: Thank you for reading this with me! Once again, I’ve totally enjoyed the experience. Next up is the review of Over the Edge, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series with you!
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