She Can Run: Deft Debut by Melinda Leigh
Title: She Can Run
Author: Melinda Leigh
Pages: 326
Genre: Romantic Suspense
She Can Run is Melinda Leigh’s action-packed debut novel, but she writes with such a deft touch and such self-assurance that you’d never guess that it’s her first.
Leigh’s heroine is Elisabeth Baker, who’s on the run from her Congressman husband. Elisabeth knows a big whopper of a secret about her husband, and the Congressman more than willing to kill Elisabeth and her two young children, to protect his secret and reputation. Elisabeth gets away with Ben and Katie and has been running for ten months, unable to turn to anyone for help because her husband put out the word that she’s insane and unstable. Fortunately her psychic ex-military Uncle James believes her, and sends her to an old friend, Danny O’Malley. An elderly gentleman, Danny offers Elisabeth a job as a caretaker at his rural estate. Elisabeth is relieved at the prospect of refuge, only to find upon her arrival at the estate that Danny has died. His nephew Jack takes over as her employer instead.
Jack’s an ex-policeman who’s had a career-ending knee injury. When he first meets Elisabeth and her kids, he instantly recognizes the signs of domestic violence. The kids and even Elisabeth herself are wary of men (especially large men like Jack!), easily scared, and jumpy. Jack’s a big softy, and wants to help. At the same time, he’s incredibly attracted to Elisabeth, but knows he needs to take things slow. In addition to the danger that Elisabeth faces from her husband, Leigh ratchets up the tension with a separate plotline about a serial killer who’s targeting women who look just like Elisabeth. The two plotlines intertwine seamlessly, and Leigh’s pacing is excellent. In classic romantic suspense style, she juggles both plotlines, and keeps the reader entranced right the way through until the denouement.
Apart from the tight plotting and excellent pacing, the characters in this book were incredibly charming. I loved Elisabeth’s fierce protectiveness of her children, and her determination to survive, and swooned at Jack’s drive to protect Elisabeth and the kids. Indeed, Jack’s interactions with Ben and Katie were some of the best parts of the book. Leigh’s portrayal of how he gently wins them over was a pleasure to read. But by far my favorite character in the book was Henry, Jack’s failed police dog, who gambols across the pages, and wins the hearts of Elisabeth and the kids, and all the readers too!
She Can Run is a marvelously deft debut effort by Melinda Leigh. Well-paced and well-written, this book was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to reading more from Leigh ni the future.
