Sneak And Rescue (Silhouette Bombshell)

By Shirl Henke

Book Overview

Sneak and Rescue by Shirl Henke released on Mar 14, 2006 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037351395X
• ISBN13: 9780373513956
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Silhouette Bombshell
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Don't sneak, but do rescue

Samantha Ballenger, private investigator and retriever of lost people, has a new case. When Seventeen year old Farley Winchester steals his dad's vintage Jaguar and goes missing, Upton Winchester, IV, dispassionately enlists Sam to find him and bring him home to Miami. Farley believes he's a secret agent for the Confederation of Planets, an illusion fostered by his delinquent friend, Elvis P. Scruggs. Elvis? Yes, Elvis, who's one surprise after another. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Sam is shocked to receive unexpected information related to the case from her husband, reporter Matt Granger. Who would have guessed that Matt knows everything about the Confederation, including secret handshakes? He tells her that if Farley's a true fan of the show Space Quest (a clever takeoff of Star Trek), he'll be in St. Louis at the big Space Quest Con. Sam obligingly takes off from Miami for St. Louis. But right from the beginning, even on the way to meet Winchester, she encounters worrisome little distractions-like bullets and sideswipes and alligators. Jeez, people trying to kill her. And Farley, and anyone else in the general vicinity. This is the second Sam Ballenger and Matt Granger book. Matt and Sam are married, but she's a very independent private investigator who was raised without a pot to... Well, you know what I mean. The proverbial silver spoon filled Matt's mouth when he came into the world, but he's also pretty darn independent, choosing to break from expectations and make his own way rather than be dictated to. His refusal to accept his rightful share of the family fortune and Sam's innate frugality are continuing bones of contention between the two. They have other disagreements-mainly about the risks Sam takes in her rescue/retrieval services-but their love and respect is clear. I liked Sam's thriftiness. She hates paying someone to help watch Farley at the convention and bunks with a friend and two demon children rather than spring for a room. And while I appreciated Matt's willingness to give his wife freedom to be herself, I liked even more that he doesn't hesitate to cross into her world when he thinks she might take that step too far into danger. This is the first Bombshell I've read. The pace is very fast and I enjoyed seeing how Shirl used sentence structure and wording to impart action and then to slow the speed. Her dialogue is sharp and witty. Details are abundant, but without wordiness. I'll be looking for the preceding book, Finders Keepers, where Sam and Matt meet and fall in love.

Hilariously weird and quirky...

This book was a very pleasant surprise as I had only found parts of the first book in the series, FINDERS KEEPERS, funny. SNEAK AND RESCUE, however, was funny throughout the entire book. Samantha Ballanger is a retrieval specialist who has been hired by Upton Winchester IV (whom she refers to as "Roman Numeral") to locate his son, Farley. Farley is a huge fan of the tv show, "Space Quest" and in fact truly believes he is trying to resolve a Pandorian plot in which his friend, Leila, was kidnapped. Farley, accompanied by Elvis Scruggs, is headed for a "Space Quest" convention, which is where Sam locates him. Of course, Sam's husband (and her retrieval from the first book), Matt Granger, doesn't leave Sam alone on the job for long as he knows how much trouble she can get into. Between Dribbles, Reemulans, and Klingoffs, Sam has to steer her way through a culture she considers seriously weird. Of course, she is also shocked and horrified to learn Matt is a "Space Quest" junkie and even has a badge he got as a teenager. Meanwhile, the mob is after Sam, Matt, and Farley as well and the hilarious plot somehow manages to tie together. There is never a dull moment in the book and I found myself laughing repeatedly during it. Definitely worth reading!

entertaining action-packed retrieval tale

Senior accountant partner Upton Winchester IV hires retrieval specialist Samantha Ballanger to bring home his delusional son, a runaway "Spacer" Farley. Though suspicious of all clients, Upton mentions that realtor Jayson Page Layton referred him to her so she accepts the job due to the reference. However when Sam finds the space cadet, she realizes something does not add up as the kid seems zoned out on a drug yet still appears normal. Instead of taking Farley home, she decides to enlist the help of her husband Miami Herald reporter Matt Granger to keep the teen safe though her spouse also bullies his way into her case in order to keep her safe. At the same Farley's friend DEA Agent Elvis Scruggs uses the kid to get at his father, who is under suspicion of racketeering. Unlike Sam who risks her life to keep Farley out of harm's way, Elvis wants to use the lad as a pawn though he hopes the kid comes out of it alive, collateral damage sometime happens in his line of work. SNEAK AND RESCUE is an entertaining action-packed retrieval tale starring a strong female assisted in this case by her spouse and to a degree (mission first) DEA Agent in a case in which nothing is what it seems on the surface. The fast-paced thriller is fun to read because of the solid cast as this time Matt is at her side more as an equal than the retrieved that he was in her last case (see FINDERS KEEPERS). Readers will enjoy Sam's latest snatch story. Harriet Klausner