In Which I Review Hidden Away

... which brings us full circle to Hidden Away, the third book in Maya Banks' KGI series.  And no, we cannot call it a "trilogy", as Ms. Banks' website has further installments set for next year.  And no, I have no idea what brings us around to this particular discussion.

As far as expectations for this book, I'd like to be perfectly clear: The KGI books are for me, at this point, pure crack.  Is it good for me?  No.  Do I want it anyway?  Yes, yes I do.  Thanks for asking.

Garrett Kelly (Does it really matter where he falls on the Kelly brothers' age spectrum?  No?  Good, because I haven't had a handle on that info since book one.) has been tasked with surveilling Sarah Daniels, the previously unknown half-sister of the notorious warlord/terrorist (or something) Marcus Lattimer.  This is personal for Garrett; something something something about a failed terrorist plot, Lattimer turning on the US Government, and Garrett getting shot in the leg.  You'll forgive me if the details are fuzzy.  They're about that well expounded in the book.

It's personal for Sarah, too.  She's on the run because her half-brother (who she has not known all her life) murdered the man who raped her.  Pretty much in front of her.  She's not running because she's afraid of Marcus, though, she's running because she's afraid of being forced to testify against him.

Which I guess would concern me, too.

It takes all of a minute and a half for Garrett to realize that There is Something Special About Sarah, and that She Has Been Traumatized in Her Life.  He doesn't press her for details until later, and that's OK.  They get hot.  They get sweaty.  They eventually have rockin' jungle sex, but only after she runs away and they are put in Great Peril.

The nice thing about Hidden Away is the chance to check in with everyone again.  Sophie of No Place to Run has her baby, we learn that Ethan and Rachel of The Darkest Hour are still working through their issues.  I can't decide if I'm psyched by the realism or annoyed by the annoyingness of the men's non-treatment of the stray Rusty, the teenage girl taken in by Mama Kelly in book one.  I'm actually hoping that one of the books next year will skip ahead a little (she's only 18) and give her her own story.  There's definitely something there to explore between her and the sheriff.  Oh, and we caught up with the rest of the squad, and I am really intrigued by anything involving girl-sniper PJ and separately, team leader Steele.

In any case, Hidden Away was exactly what it needed to be and did exactly what it needed to do: it gave me something to read while Boy Scout was being a Boy Scout, I finished it in a day (a day that included a ride back from Scout Camp and a detour to this restaurant), it caught me up with some folks I am vaguely attached to.  And it entertained.

And that's all I have to say about that.