48 Hour Lockdown

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy, which is the first book in the Tactical Crime Division series, is a suspense drive tale surrounding a hostage situation. It features Annalise Taylor and Evan Duran. Annalise is a teacher at Sandhurst School for Gifted and Talented underprivileged children while Evan is the top negotiator with the Tactical Crime division a branch of the FBI. The story began with the school being invaded and Annalise along with three of her students are held hostage. On hearing of the situation and learning that Annalise was a hostage, Evan is prepared to engage. They shared a romantic history, which ended when Annalise walked away to further her career. As stated earlier the story was suspense driven leaving the romance to take a back seat. I had no issues with that as the suspense plot was well executed. It kept me glued to the pages. It had me turning the pages as I was intent on learning what were the motives of the hostage takers and also the identity of their inside mine. I liked Annalise and Evan as individuals, but I never connected with them as a couple. I never felt their chemistry and their connection felt forced. I loved how Annalise kept her head throughout the entire ordeal. Evan was driven, dedicated and determined, which made him perfect for the job. The story highlighted issues relating to his past, providing insight to the reason for his choice of career. Readers are also made privy to the emotional upheaval he experienced as a result of the ending of his relationship with Annalise. There were a few situations throughout the hostage negotiations that had me rolling my eyes. I did eventually figure out the identity of the inside person, so the revelation near to the end cemented what I had believed. Conclusion/Recommendation Overall, 48 Hour Lockdown turned out to be an interesting read. This is suitable for readers who enjoy suspense stories, where the romance is served as a side dish. This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading