Description
<p>It’s hard to be committed to anyone when you don’t know whom to trust.</p><p>Alexis Toles, a former FBI agent turned undercover CIA agent, is quickly finding that out in Nancy Ann Healy’s newest political thriller, <i>Commitment</i>.</p><p>Alex embeds in a secret organization of intelligence operatives known as The Collaborative. Its partners include operatives from the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, US Department of Defense, and an entanglement of foreign intelligence agencies.</p><p>It’s about half a year after the death of President John Merrow, a friend and someone she respected. But she remains committed to overthrowing The Collaborative as she works with a onetime adversary who believes the organization’s involved in the president’s death.</p><p>Meanwhile Alex; her wife, Cassidy O’Brien; and Cassidy’s son try hard to live as a family but must first overcome personal struggles, including a nasty custody battle with Cassidy’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien. The family has their own share of secrets that, if unleashed, could affect their hopes for the future.</p><p>There’s no place to turn without discovering people who are not who they claim to be. That can’t stop Alex. She must remain committed to the cause, both at home and as she works against The Collaborative.</p>
Story Behind The Book
How does society view older woman/younger man relationships? I wanted to explore the concept of family, the changing concepts of what consititutes a family, combined with dealing with a missing person case. Is telling the truth always the best course of action?
Reviews
<span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-size:10pt;">From Amazon.com reviewer and reader:<br />When a non-romance reader (that's me) calls a romance novel extraordinary, you know the novel must be worth taking a look at. Yes, MEANDER SCAR is that kind of book -- worth taking a look at and then definitely worth reading. Sure, MEANDER SCAR is a romance, but it's not an everyday, formulaic, quick-read one. While the romance plot element is strong, very strong, so too are the elements of theme, suspense, characterization, and writing style. For example, the title is just one of many beautiful stylistic uses of metaphor in the novel (curious? read the novel). And characterization -- wow, reading about a younger man (Mark) who's loved an older woman (Ann) since he was a teenager, and then watching him become her suitor years later is for sure not your typical love story (curious? read the novel). Then there's the suspense of what's happened to Ann's probably deceased husband and the implications for Ann and Mark's romance (curious? read the novel). One theme in the novel I really liked was Mark's strong faith in God, and Ann's not so strong faith -- both were realistically portrayed, and both were realistically threatened (curious? read the novel). Once you've read MEANDER SCAR, you'll want to read author Lisa Lickel's other fascinating novels and recommend them -- just like I am with this review. Plus you'll also join me in hoping Lisa plans some sequels to her characters who've become our good friends. </span>