Target Acquired

Eason’s taut second Lake City Heroes novel (after Double Take) finds the newest member of the Lake City, N.C., SWAT team caught between a cold case and a more pressing threat to her life. As the only woman on her team, medic Kenzie King knows her arrival has rocked the boat but is committed to the job. It becomes harder to focus on her work, however, after a car nearly runs her over and she spots a stalker loitering outside her house. SWAT team leader Cole Garrison sticks close by as he and Kenzie work to crack the case. The culprit proves elusive, but the pair is kept busy as new information comes to light about Kenzie’s mother’s death 20 years ago in a car crash that, it turns out, may not have been an accident. As Kenzie and Cole uncover details about the ugly feud between their grandparents that may have played a role in her mother’s death, they wonder what that case has to do with the danger Kenzie’s in, and whether they can draw on their faith to find the connection before it’s too late. Eason skillfully metes out details of the families’ backstories, adding depth to a zippy plot teeming with buried secrets, dredged-up traumas, and bad actors hiding in plain sight. The result is a thrill ride worth taking. (Aug.)