Track of Courage

Call of the Wild, #1

by

Susan May Warren

The courage to make hard decisions has gotten her where she is and will determine her future.

Track of Courage is the first novel in veteran author Susan May Warren's new Christian romantic suspense series, Call of the Wild, and is set deep in the wilds of the Alaskan bush. Mega-popstar Keely Williams, "Bliss" to her millions of devoted fans, has come to Copper Mountain, Alaska, to search for her birth mother while she recuperates from the surgery she had undergone to repair her vocal cords. But once faced with the reality of introducing herself to this stranger, Keely chickens out and decides to fly back home to New York City without revealing herself to the vibrant, confident woman she found or asking her all the questions she has about why she gave her up for adoption. However, once on the small bush plane to Anchorage, another passenger hijacks the plane, causing it to crash in the middle of nowhere. Surviving the crash, but with the attacker after her, Keely is forced to flee into the snowy, forested bush. 

Flying overhead, Dawson Mulligan, an Anchorage police officer recuperating from an on-duty injury, and his pilot cousin, Moose, see the wreckage of the small plane and set down to investigate. When Dawson's rescue dog, Caspian, disappears into the snowy landscape, they separate with Dawson in pursuit. He runs across Keely, lost and hiding in the bush, and under fire from an unknown assailant. With the help of a local, they make it to Woodcrest, a community of artists and artisans, to hunker down as a massive blizzard hits. 

Both main characters, Keely and Dawson, are working through past traumas, heartbreak, and physical challenges that may alter the futures they had planned for themselves. Both faced difficult decisions, and their similar circumstances drew them together. The generous and welcoming residents of Woodcrest, with their open, natural belief in God, offer the balm their two struggling souls need at just the right time. Their individual strengths and talents provide each with the means to give back for the hospitality and feel useful rather than a drain on the weather-besieged community. Keely and Dawson are attracted to each other from the start, and their light flirting and banter were a delight. They meshed so well, looking like the perfect couple if they could overcome their obstacles together. 

The plot is well-paced and suspenseful as Keely's former fellow passenger is revealed to be a real and ongoing danger not only to herself but also to the Woodcrest community. As the weather worsens, everyone is trapped in place until the storms move on. The harsh conditions and remote setting pose their own dangers and significantly shape the plot's trajectory. As the suspense built and one twist after another appeared, there was no way I was going to put this book down before I knew how everything was going to turn out. 

I recommend TRACK OF COURAGE to readers of Christian romantic suspense. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.