cover image Protection for Hire

Protection for Hire

Camy Tang. Zondervan, $12.99 paper (336p) ISBN 978-0-310-32033-3

Tang (Sushi series) opens a new series introducing Tessa Lancaster, a former Japanese mafia enforcer who becomes a Christian during a prison stint. Upon release, Tessa volunteers at a shelter where she befriends Elizabeth St. Amant, a spouse abuse victim who requires a bodyguard. Without other employment opportunities, and with the requisite skill set for the job, Tessa reluctantly accepts. Elizabeth also engages lawyer Charles Britton, but Tessa soon discovers that Charles hides a secret connection to her own past. Unfortunately, Tang fails to maintain credibility as the plot twists and turns amid situations that lack plausibility, including Elizabeth’s destitute financial situation despite access to an “obscenely large trust fund.” Tessa is inconsistent; she waves the flag of a changed conscience in the face of her relatives and former mob connections, but takes moral shortcuts whenever it suits her. Accepting employment from her uncle is out of the question, but stealing cash from her mother, which she plans to repay with a loan from her mafia-connected cousin, is okay. The story is never predictable, however, and the most unlikely of characters emerges as the ultimate hero. (Dec.)