Emilie Davis, the branch manager for WestOne Bank, suddenly finds herself in the middle of a bank robbery. Two masked men storm in demanding cash and they ultimately find themselves stuck in the bank when an alarm is triggered and the police are on scene. Now they have a hostage situation with employees and customers still in the bank.The action for this story starts on page 1, first paragraph. What starts off like a “typical” bank robbery descends into something very murky. It’s soon clear to Nathan Madigan, the Las Vegas SWAT hostage negotiator, that the branch manager, Emilie Davis, is a target of one of the two robbers. He’s working with the more volatile of the two but gets that something is off. When they enter the bank to rescue all of the hostages, Nathan’s suspicions are confirmed when Emilie’s captor attempts to take her with him as he escapes into the tunnels of the city, a murky and foul refuge for the desperate. Emilie manages to fight him off but from here going forward, it is a mystery and effort to figure out who this man is and why he’s interested in her.I really enjoyed this story with its unusual premise and plot. It became more than just an investigation into the identity of the perpetrator, given the name The Taker, as he was still committed to capturing Emilie. Though Nathan isn’t a detective, in the short time he was working the robbery in progress, he was able to establish a connection with Emilie and she wanted him to stick around. Their developing attraction is complicated as she’s a victim in an open case and he’s part of the law enforcement investigation. They are both really likeable characters and she’s determined to not be a victim. There’s an interesting cast of characters that further embellish the story along with an exciting climax. This is a well written story that held my interest and baffled me. I’m looking forward to more from this author.(I was provided an ARC from the author.)
