North of the Killing Hand

In this second in her Compass Crimes series, Fisher (South of Justice) offers a prequel that combines elements of several genres into an unwieldy whole. In August of 2002, in the Brazilian Amazon, 14-year-old Nefi Jenkins witnesses the murder of her parents. Ex-military members Blake Clayton (star of Fisher’s previous novel), Vincent Gunnerson, and Ruis Ramos are sent to the rainforest by Nefi’s uncle, Senator Hamilton Jenkins, to bring her back safely to the States. After her rescue, Nefi adjusts to life in America while planning a career in law enforcement, hoping to put to use her rare level of ability to read people. She and Vincent both harbor feelings for each other that Nefi’s young age prevents them from exploring until years later, when Nefi’s quest to find her parents’ killer and Vincent’s work as an FBI agent intersect. Throughout, Bible verses inform the choices of Nefi and others. The characters fall into old-fashioned gender roles, and all those who are good are beautiful while the nemesis is ugly. The mixture of thriller and romance story lines, particularly with the age gap between Nefi and Vincent, feels awkward. (BookLife)