Don’t Back Down

Bestseller Sala (The Next Best Day) launches a romantic suspense series with an uneven outing that’s long on suspense and short on romance. A chance meeting between Rusty Caldwell and Cameron Pope turns into one unforgettable night together, after which both are sure they’ll never see each other again. Five years later, undercover FBI agent Rusty is assigned to infiltrate a human trafficking ring in the mountains of Jubilee, Ky., which happens to be both Rusty and Cameron’s hometown, though they come from vastly different social strata within it. Recently discharged Army vet Cameron has faced threats against his family ever since returning home, and now his young niece has been kidnapped by the same human traffickers Rusty is hunting. When the pair are reunited, their attraction is as strong as ever, but they must put old feelings and ongoing family feuds on the back burner in hopes of bringing peace to Jubilee. Sala fails to capture chemistry between her leads, whose flirtation reads as corny and underdeveloped. The suspense plot is much more competently handled, with each page delivering thrilling new details that push the plot forward. This one is only for die-hard Sala fans. Agent: Meredith Bernstein, Meredith Bernstein Literary. (Mar.)