Review: The Innocent by Taylor Stevens

The Innocent is a strong second entry in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series by Taylor Stevens. Although it shares several common elements with Stevens's debut, The Informationist, this book shows us a different side of Munroe.

Although Munroe's clients pay her millions to gather information about people and corporations, when her best friend, Logan, asks her to help him rescue a teenage girl who was abducted by a cult five years earlier, she can't say no. Munroe knows better than to burst into The Chosen's Argentinian headquarters, guns blazing, to try to steal the child back. Instead, she relies on careful planning, a trusted friend, and her knack for languages to infiltrate the compound and locate Hannah.

The Innocent is an action-packed thriller that shows us the dark side of religious cults, including links with organized crime, monetary greed, and child abuse. It also furthers Munroe's personal story, revealing the vulnerable woman behind the hard, cold, calculating informationist, who doesn't hesitate to kill to protect the weak.

One of the overriding themes of Stevens's second novel is facing the evils of one's past, as several characters, including Munroe, confront their own demons. Logan, for example, was ejected from the cult he was born into and was left to fend for himself, despite his being a minor with little education and no resources. The mission to reunite Hannah with her mother dredges up memories that are almost too much for him to handle.

Stevens has created a complex, intelligent character in Munroe. In addition, her novels go beyond the standard shoot-em-up thriller to touch on a range of topics, such as loyalty, friendship, cults, child abuse, and organized crime. Finally, Stevens's novels are informed by her own difficult childhood, which brings a unique authenticity to her stories. Although The Innocent can be read as a stand-alone, I encourage you to start with the The Informationist and then continue (as I plan to) with Stevens's newest installment, The Doll.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook edition (Random House Audio; 12 hr, 26 min) read by Hillary Huber, who narrates all the Munroe books. Her wide range of believable accents and subtle characterizations bring the story alive and her good sense of pacing kept me engrossed in the action.

NOTE: this post was deleted by mistake and was reposted. Comments were restored.

Random House / Broadway Books, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780307717139
Source: Bought (audio) (see review policy)
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