Reviewer: Connie Payne
Title: Snitch - 2nd in the Occupational Hazard series
Author: Rene Gutteridge
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
ISBN: 1400071585
Release Date: May 2007
Genre/Sub-genre: Inspirational Comic Suspense
Year/Setting: Present day - Las Vegas
Overall Rating: 4.0
Sexual Content Rating: None
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None/Mild
Violent Content Rating: Negligible/Minimal
Rene's Website:
www.renegutteridge.com/splash.html
A task force is formed to infiltrate and bring down a growing auto theft ring in Las Vegas. While each officer’s desire to see the operation through successfully is legit; they all have an underlying agenda.
Captain Laura Gates hand picks the officers; from Sergeant Ron Yeager to command Task Force Viper, to Mackenzie "Mack" Hazard, potential undercover detective, who reminds Laura of herself when she was young. It’s not going to be easy, they only have six months, but Laura’s going to push them to complete the operation successfully. She’s got more than one person to prove something to.
Ron has his hands full. Not only is his time limited to complete the op, but he has a shout-it-from-the-rooftop Christian in Mack, and a reckless renegade cop in Jesse Lunden, aka Tony Ramone. But that’s not all. His pastor, Kyle, is on sabbatical and thinks helping with the undercover op will be fun.
Of course when it rains it pours. When one thing goes wrong, another is sure to follow, yet somehow Ron’s officers manage to think on their feet and avert potential disaster, after disaster. Through it all; Jesse’s superstitions, Mack’s praying and beliefs, Dozer’s dozing, and Kyle’s eagerness and subsequent uncertainty of his vocation, they see the task force op to the end. Yet not as planned…and not without trouble.
With the exception of two chapters, Snitch is seen through Mack’s fellow officers’ eyes as well as the perps, not hers. At first I found it a bit awkward, but soon saw why it might have been witten that way... Mack definitely drives them all nuts to varying degrees, what with her faith and prayer, her Christian ways, but somehow through her demeanor, her example, Ron, Jesse, Laura, and even Kyle begin to see some things in a different light. Mack was brought into her fellow officers lives for a reason, though she may never know it, they will at some point.
Rene Gutteridge’s style is a bit unusual, which is what sets it apart from the pack. She has a handle on how to deliver a message without putting the characters on a pedestal and out of reach of the readers.
Snitch is a suspenseful dramedy. There were several laugh out loud moments, lots of food for thought, and plenty of action and drama. I look forward to the next in the series.
Connie
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