Clarion Rating: 5 out of 5

This brisk and original cat-and-mouse thriller exceeds expectations with unpredictable results.

John Mills, a reclusive iconic British singer and songwriter, is living in self-imposed solitude until Jillian Braedon and her five-year-old daughter, Valerie, show up at his isolated home during the middle of a blizzard. Jillian, on the run from the FBI, is keeping an unbelievable secret that John slowly deciphers in this amalgam of mystery, science fiction, adventure, and romance.

As strangers intrude upon his quiet life, John is forced to face the pain from his past: “For the past few winters, he had welcomed the snow here. It had given him that added peace of mind that no one would disrupt his solitude, because dead men don’t feel comfortable in the presence of the living. And he was dead—five years dead. Or so he had thought before a certain little girl showed up on his doorstep.” Descriptions are beautifully worded: “The snow glistened as if made of granulated sugar. … The sky was a troubled shade of blue.”

The characters in this very original story all have unique personalities. The agents—Brewster, Laurel, Barnes, and Andrews—are an eerie bunch of supposed government operatives. Mel Talbot, an international computer hacker and friend of John, has a personality as big and over-the-top as John’s is subdued, quietly intelligent, and understated. Jillian struggles to control her personal demons, as well as protect her daughter.

Author Jamie Eubanks, who runs a detective agency in Southern California, unfolds the story a brisk pace. Present events play out alongside each character’s backstory, or in the case of Agent Andrews, his mysterious lack of backstory. The somber John, who gets around with a cane as the result of a helicopter accident five years earlier that claimed the life of his wife and young son, is drawn to Valerie’s openness and innocence. He’s both intrigued and confounded by Jillian’s amazing claims. The plot keeps the reader guessing whether the bad guys will discover John’s hidden house guests before Mel Talbot can smuggle them away to safety. It’s a game of cat and mouse with unpredictable results.

The book is very nicely edited, and its cover, in blues and grays, depicts a lone tree and shack, which one can imagine is the hidden location where the FBI agents are hunkered down, trying to locate and, ultimately, terminate Jillian. “The roof was a pitiful sight of galvanized sheeting, littered with small holes as if a barrage of bullets had hit it. During the day, sun filtered through the tiny holes, seeding the floor with light.”

The book’s title comes from a record album of the same name by John’s internationally known band. There’s also a literal secret room accessed by a hidden door off the kitchen area of his well-fortified desert home, where Jillian and Valerie can be safely ensconced when necessary. Fans of mysteries and thrillers will find that this book exceeds any expectations they may have had going in, primarily due to its unconventional plot line.

Reviewed by Robin Farrell Edmunds
December 20, 2013

his finely wrought sci-fi/mystery/thriller explores the themes of rebirth and renewal through characters on the run and those who come to their aid.

The story begins in medias res: tossing the reader squarely into the midst of the action. Lost in a blizzard with her young daughter Valerie, badly hurt, the FBI in hot pursuit, Jill Braedon sends the child off into the raging storm alone. Valerie stumbles into the cabin of John Mills, a former rock star-turned-recluse since the deaths of his wife and child. Mills, who walks with the aid of a cane, ventures out into the storm and surprisingly finds Jill alive. As she recovers, puzzles gradually unravel, only to expose yet other mysteries. Superbly crafted and flawlessly executed, Eubanks doles out both plot and back-story in small doses, expertly keeping readers turning page after page. This book is a study in how to show and not tell a story, and should be required reading in creative writing courses. Not to spoil the adventure, some of what comes out is that Jill, dying from Hodgkin’s disease, was given an illegal surgery which effectively endowed her with the ability to heal herself. However, a side-effect causes her nightmares to become real and do physical harm. Ostensibly, the FBI is after her to secure this power and keep it out of enemy hands; even if that means killing Jill and Valerie. But these agents are not what they seem. Mills tries to protect Jill from the FBI and her dreams, and in so doing, opens hidden doors and rooms within his own psyche. Eubanks utilizes a variety of techniques such as character interaction and dreams to fill in past details without bogging down in exposition. Perhaps the most engaging occurs as Jill relates her story to Mel Talbot, a computer hacker par excellence that Mills has summoned to help. After enough explanatory interaction to build Mel’s character, Eubanks shows us her story, a device often used in film.

This is a phenomenal first novel; an excellent read for anyone who loves mystery, and would-be writers who want to learn exactly how it’s done. - KIRKUS REVIEWS