The Darkest Hour-Maya Banks

The Darkest Hour
Maya Banks
Berkley, Sep 7 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425227947

One year has passed since Rachel died when her plane crashed in the Amazon while on a relief mission. Although her body was never recovered, her spouse Ethan Kelly assumes she died. The former Navy SEAL, consumed with guilt for how he mistreated her, has become a recluse in spite of the efforts of his family begging him to move on; he knows that it is not just grief isolating and self-punishing him but remorse.

When Ethan receives a letter with photos as proof that Rachel lives as a prisoner; the widower also finds a reason to live. He enlists his three of his five siblings (Sam, Garrett and Donovan) of the Kelly Group International to mount a rescue of his wife. They succeed in getting her out of South America though he is hurt and she is addicted to the drug they forced her to take which devastated her memories. Ethan works for his spouse to regain her memory while praying she gives him a second chance to show he changed. Meanwhile someone wants to insure she recalls nothing so that persona arranges for the couple to die.

The opening KGI Kelly thriller is an action-packed tale that goes hyper once an intoxicated Ethan opens the package and never slows down as even after the rescue there remains danger. Like his brothers, Ethan is an honorable person who knows he done her wrong, but though he would prefer she not recall what he did to her, he prays she regains her memories as that is the right thing. The metamorphosis of Rachel from helpless captive to kick butt heroine matches her mental and physical recovery as in many ways the aftermath of the trauma makes the aptly titled The Darkest Hour a winner as there is more than just alpha machos.

Harriet Klausner