Synopsis
“She never planned to get involved with her ex again, especially in his murder. But that’s just what happens when Celie Wells has an encounter with her former husband, and he turns up dead an hour later. Now, after working hard to distance herself from his crooked ways and shady connections, she finds she’s smack dab in the middle of his murder investigation. And it isn’t just the police who have their eye on her, but an enraged drug lord who is seeking payback.
The only person who seems to be on her side is old acquaintance John McAllister. But the sexy reporter has a nose for news, as well as a reputation as a playboy. Is he helping Celie out because he wants a story…or a one-night stand? She knows John’s interest is potentially hazardous to her heart. But not accepting his help could put her life at even greater risk – and she can’t afford one wrong step.”
-Synopsis from back of the book
Review
One Wrong Step is the second book in The Borderlines duology. I read the first book, One Last Breath, a few months ago and was riveted by the story. Cecelia Wells and John McAllister were minor characters in that story, and now in One Wrong Step their story continues.
At the end of the last book, we learn that Celie’s husband Robert Strickland was involved in the same drug smuggling ring as Feenie’s husband, Josh Garland. As with Feenie, who got sucked into Josh’s crimes, the same is now happening with Celie, though she tries her hardest to avoid being involved.
This story includes the rotating perspectives of Celie, McAllister, an FBI agent and a reporter who all become involved in Celie’s ex-husband’s death, which turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. After several close encounters, it soon becomes clear that Celie is being targeted by the drug lord that Robert stole money from because they thing she still has it.
Celie’s life is thrown into disarray when the drug people worm their way into every aspect of her work and home life. McAllister is there to help but as the synopsis mentions, Celie isn’t sure if it’s because he wants the story for his paper and journalism career or because he actually cares about her.
There were a few moments with McAllister that I didn’t love. He was pretty mean to Celie at times and although it may have been warranted based on how much she was hiding from him, I think the emotional pain he caused her was quite a lot to turn a blind eye on. It made me go back and forth on whether or not I really liked seeing them as a couple. Ultimately what they go through brings them closer and they do develop a bond that would be impossible to walk away from.
There are many high-tension moments in the latter half of the book, when the story moves to Mexico and Celie is fighting for her life. I was so gripped while reading because everything was so realistic. While this was a pretty intense story, I would definitely recommend it for those who enjoy thrillers and romantic suspense.
Hannah's Library 