Sunday, August 25, 2013

Allison Brennan -- Fear No Evil

Allison Brennan -- Fear No Evil

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {4.95}
Action: ♠♠♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣ / Romance: ♥.♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠♠♠
Action: 4.5 / Emotion: 4.0 / Romance: 1.5 / Sensuous: 2.0 / Suspense: 5.0  //  Laughter: 2 // Tears: 4 / Teary: 1

  2007 : Daphne du Maurier Award Winner: Best Mainstream Mystery/Suspense
  2007 : RT Book Reviews: Top Pick
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Setting:       San Diego, California
                    Mexico, near the West Texas border, in the mountains north of Monterrey
Era:             Present Day [2007]
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Allison Brennan is a favorite author.   She knows how to tell a story that grabs your attention at the first page and keeps it until the last sentence.   Fear No Evil, the third book in The No Evil Trilogy, is another well-written, intriguing, tension-filled, 'can't put this book down' read.   Brennan did not waste a minute before drawing one deep into the story and keeping the emotional anxiety and 'edge of your seat' suspense at a razor's edge.   Brennan rounded off the story by throwing in just a touch of romance.

Brennan effectively utilizes a technique found quite often in suspense books.   In the Prologue, she introduced the heroine, FBI Special Agent, Katherine "Kate" Donovan, trying to get to her partner, Paige Henshaw, before the villain, known as Trask, killed her.   As Kate ran toward the cabin where Trask and his number one henchman, Roger Morton, raped and tortured Paige on a live webcast, she realized she was too far away to kill the two men leaving the site in a Suburban.   Kate was consumed with guilt for not getting to Paige in time because Paige had saved her life back at the warehouse when they were overwhelmed because their backup did not arrive.   Brennan gave just enough details to make one wonder what happened that resulted in Paige being taken by monsters and Kate losing her lover, Special Agent in Charge, Evan Standler to gunfire.   Thus, it became necessary to continue reading to find out the background details that led to this tense, exciting, emotional opening.

Brennan's romantic suspense books are filled with villains who chill your blood as she richly and graphically portrays the ugliness that appears on the evening news.   The ugliness featured in this book is particularly difficult to endure.   Although Brennan did a fantastic job of revealing the terror that the victim experienced at the hands of the villain and his henchmen without actually detailing the event, nevertheless, many readers may not be able to handle the rape scenes found in Fear No Evil -- simply because of the horrific-ness of this crime against a young girl.

The podium that Brennan climbs onto in this book is the same one she emphasized in Speak No Evil -- no one is safe from online predators.   While this is a very worthwhile message, the people who most need to hear it probably won't ever hear it from this book because they are reading about kick-ass heroines featured in the new wave of young adult fantasy romances and vampires (and the like) in paranormal romances.   Brennan stressed that it happens, no matter how careful you may be.
never in a million years had she thought anything would happen to her.   (Lucy, age 357)
Forensic psychiatrist, Dillon Kincaid, is featured as very unique hero in that he comes from a family of law enforcement types.   His father, Patrick Kincaid, Sr., is a retired colonel from the army.   His younger brother, Connor Mateo Kincaid, a former San Diego policeman, is now a private investigator.   His youngest brother, Patrick James Kincaid, Jr., is a sergeant in the San Diego Police Department e-crimes unit.   His eldest sister, Nelia Kincaid Stanton, was an attorney (revealed in Speak No Evil).   His younger sister, Carina Maria Kincaid, is a homicide detective.   A wonderful surprise addition to the Kincaid family was introduced in this book -- Dillon's fraternal twin brother, Jack Kincaid, who has been absent from the family unit for the last twenty years as he served in the military.   The final addition to the family that also shares a starring role in this book is high school senior, Lucia "Lucy" Kincaid.

The reason for Dillon's uniqueness as a hero is because rather than catch the bad guys using his might and his gun, Dillon proves that intellect is just as powerful a weapon.   Brennan did an amazing job of revealing that Dillon was just as concerned and emotional as his hot-headed brothers and sisters, but he had such a strong sense of self-worth and strength of will that he strove for calmness and reasonableness to make sure that the Kincaid family did not fall apart.   Dillon came across as the kind of man you want to stand by your side and guard your back in a crisis.
He was just better at holding back.   Assessing.   Being the reasonable, responsible, mature Kincaid.   Sometimes he wished he could explode with the injustice he saw in humanity.   But he couldn't.   People depended on his stability, particularly his family.   (Dillon, page 68)

The fact that he was the only Kincaid who didn't know how to shoot wasn't lost on him.   (Dillon, page 82)
The reason the Kincaid family was in an uproar was because their baby sister, Lucy, missed her high school graduation services because she had been taken by Trask to be his next victim in his live webcast snuff film.   When Dillon questioned Lucy's friend, Becky Anderson, he learned that Lucy went to Starbucks to meet Trevor Conrad, a freshman at Georgetown that she had been chatting with online for the past year.   While the Kincaid family is scrambling to find Lucy, Nick Thomas (Speak No Evil), Carina's fiancĂ©, talks to his best friend, Special Agent in Charge, Quincy "Quinn" Peterson (The Hunt) who sends them to the link that showed Lucy tied to a chair with a digital counter in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

Brennan usually increases the suspense and tension in her books, chapter by chapter.   But in Fear No Evil the reader is mired in fear and tension almost from the get go -- because the horror Lucy is facing and that digital counter is always present in the back of your mind.   Yes, the suspense factor in the story continues to increase but that underlying fear and sympathy for Lucy hardly ever diminishes.
Dillon wanted to find her now, to save her from what was about to happen -- what his sixth sense, his experience, told him would inevitably happen.   (Dillon, page 44)
The reason Quinn was able to get the information to the Kincaids so quickly was because Kate was obsessed with finding and stopping Trask.   First, Kate had a secret from her past that resulted in an obsessive personality once she set her sights upon a villain.   In his vindictiveness, Trask was just as determined to stop Kate as she was to stop him because she had sent him into hiding five years ago.   Kate and Paige had been so determined in their investigation into his supposedly legitimate business, Trask Enterprises, they had dealt Trask a huge financial hit.   Now Kate wanted to stop Trask because {1} he killed Paige and Evan and {2} she wanted to clear her name.   Kate was in hiding from the FBI because Jeff Merritt, the assistant director from Quantico, Pagie's lover, had sworn a vendetta against Kate for getting Paige killed.

Brennan developed Jeff Merritt's personality in this book, painting quite a graphic picture of an appalling non-villain.   Brennan used Merritt's determination to bring Kate before the Office of Professional Responsibility (FBI's version of Internal Affairs) for failure to follow orders to weave an intricate plotting sequence that facilitates the intensive investigation into finding Trask and Lucy.   While Merritt's tunnel vision was necessary to drive the plot, by the time Brennan finished telling his story, you could not help but hate this man.   Merritt received a fitting reprisal when the loose threads were tied at the end of the book, and although Brennan revealed the reason for the 180-degree turnaround, it would have been nice to see Merritt get his comeuppance.

Kate had set up a bank of computers in an observatory in Mexico where she continued trying to track Trask.   The FBI had started to consider Kate as something of a nutcase because each time she sent them a "Trask sighting" they never found Trask and quite often ended up in an ambush.   Kate's inside man in the FBI was Quinn, a classmate at the Academy.   Dillon, however, did not discount Kate's efforts to find Trask and was determined to find her and get her to help find Lucy.   Brennan wrote some really wonderfully descriptive paragraphs detailing Dillon's reasoning and his belief that profiling Trask and the people surrounding him would lead to his doorstep.   Dillon's skill at profiling was showcased during the telling of his story.

When Patrick (the very barely-developed, interesting Kincaid, who won hearts in Speak No Evil and See No Evil) was able to pinpoint Kate's location, Dillon called Jack to escort him (and Connor and Patrick) to the observatory a couple hours from Hidalgo.   Once there, Trask fed Kate another false lead, which Connor and Patrick followed, getting both Connor and Patrick injured when the cabin blew up.   Brennan, who has been known to kill off a major secondary character that readers have warmed up to, instills fear by leaving Patrick in a coma when this book ends.   Hopefully, enough readers will impress upon Brennan how devastating Patrick's death will be to both the Kincaid family and readers and she won't take that route.

Another thread that ran through this story was the examination of the relationship between Dillon and Jack.   Jack is the type of bad-boy hero that is usually featured in romance novels.   Dillon, however, wanted to know why Jack (who was incredibly fascinating and inspired an interest in reading his book, Sudden Death) left the family fold twenty years ago.   Brennan included quite a number of scenes in which Dillon tried to get Jack to talk to him and each time Jack kept his own counsel.
Dillon had wondered what had happened to Jack that he would turn his back on his family and devote his life solely to the military . . .   (Dillon, page 72)

Dillon was slow to anger, but Jack had always been the one to set him off.   (Dillon, page 83)

"Stay out of my head."   (Jack, page 84)

"Why did you walk away from the family, Jack?"   (Dillon)
"I had my reasons."   (Jack)
"Are they still valid?"   (Dillon)
"My business, Dil."   (Jack)
"As always, Jack."   (Dillon, page 156)

seeing Jack again conflicted Dillon.   They were different people today, with no way to regain what they'd had growing up.   They'd grown apart, leading different lives, going down dramatically different paths.   (Dillon, page 225)
Kate is the kind of heroine whose strength of will and stubborn determination saw her through many a crisis -- just the kind of heroine needed for a romantic suspense book.   She was so determined to do things her way and not read Dillon into the loop, that she pulled a To Stupid To Live moment.   (Jack's smart thinking stopped that from happening.)   Kate's compassionate, caring nature began to seep through the pages of the book and she won my heart -- as well as Dillon's.
Brennan usually threads quite a bit of lust and romance into the suspenseful story she is weaving.   That did not happen in this story.   One has to assume that the horrific nature of the degradation and trauma Lucy faced, while all the world watched (including Dillon and Kate) made it impossible to throw in glances of awareness between Dillon and Kate as they searched to find Lucy in time.   Therefore, the romance factor of this book definitely took a back seat to the suspense.   In fact, Kate didn't notice Dillon as a handsome man until page 142 and Dillon didn't seem to notice Kate as an attractive woman until page 247.   And even after that the awareness that should have flowed between them was down-played.

But once Dillon and Kate found that they were deeply attracted and emotionally invested in the other, there was no hem-hawing around -- bam -- they were in love.   Because Brennan did not paint a picture of the growing love between these two self-sufficient people, this was a bit difficult to swallow.   But since, this is a romance book, once the feelings were exposed, it was easy to enter into the spirit of romance and accept that Dillon and Kate were meant for each other.   Brennan included a heated, spicy, emotional love scene to solidify the connection between Dillon and Kate.   Thankfully, Dillon was strong enough to command his own place in the twosome and not let Kate's overwhelmingly strong personality subdue his more laid back sense of self.

As is usual, Brennan gave the villain a point of view voice in this book.   Again, Brennan, has created a remorseless, absolutely chilling villain.   In some of the other books, Brennan has inspired a moment of compassion for the little boy that the villain used to be, but in Trask's case there was no such sympathy.   Trask may have had cold, overly strict parents, and may have spent a bit too much time eavesdropping on adult conversations, but he had to have been born with no conscience.   And, yes, his father should be whipped for what he did to turn his son into a true demon when he was on the cusp of sexual awareness, but Trask was so void of regret, it was obvious that he would have ended up a villain no matter what.

Trask's second in command, another conscienceless villain, Roger Morton, was an underdeveloped, but necessary secondary character.   There was nothing redeeming about Roger.   It didn't take a genius IQ (like Trask) to figure out that Roger was a bully -- a rich kid that was too lazy to work for a living and took what he wanted.   Roger was a necessary addition to the story because his partnership with Trask was the key Dillon used to unlock Trask's history and find out what turned him into a monster.

Brennan included one other secondary character as a member of Trask's retinue that could have inspired compassion if she weren't so evil-hearted.   The woman who led Kate and Paige into Trask's ambush, Denise Arno, was so demoralizing towards Lucy that you have to wonder (like Dillon did) what happened to this woman to allow herself to be so degraded and come back for repeat performances.

The one secondary character that drew the most compassion was Lucy.   Brennan gave Lucy a point of view voice and a will to fight.   But nobody could endure what Lucy did and not be changed.   It was so difficult to read about Lucy in the hands of Trask and his henchmen, Roger and Frank.   Nevertheless, Brennan portrayed Lucy's angst very realistically.
What had Lucy done to deserve this?   . . .  
. . .
Why would anyone what to hurt her?
. . .
But her heart, her soul, couldn't help but think that something she'd done had created this awful situation.
. . .
She was changing, it wasn't a sudden shift, but a process.   Something unexplainable was going on inside her.   (Lucy, pages 84-86)
Another very minor secondary character added more worry and fear to the story.   Mick Mallory was a deep undercover operative posing as one of Trask's men.   There were a few things about Mick's actions that didn't exactly jive.   Since his cover was that he had been in prison as a rapist and he had been with Trask and Roger when they raped and killed Rayanna, why hadn't Roger asked Mick to rape Rayanna?   (Mick didn't know if he could take his "turn" at raping Lucy.)   My heart broke for Mick, particularly when his history was revealed.   This added just another reason to hate Merritt, who asked Mick to take this undercover assignment.   Yet, conflict existed because you couldn't help but be thankful -- because without Mick, Lucy would not have been rescued.   Brennan also left this particular thread unraveled when she ended the book.   What was Mick's prognosis?

Two other secondary characters played minor, but interesting roles in the book.   When Quinn called his friend, the FBI's premier forensic psychiatrist, Hans Vigo, for help during the course of the investigation, Hans recommended an agent to go speak to Charles Morton, Roger's father.   FBI Special Agent Abigail "Abby" Resnick is just the kind of secondary character that Brennan creates for a short cameo appearance and makes her come to life in a big way.   Brennan is particularly skilled at this kind of characterization.   The scene where Abby drives up to Stonebridge Academy and faces the butler and headmaster was priceless.   The best quote to come from Abby was:
She didn't mind breaking rules -- she didn't much care for the rules, anyway -- but she didn't want to get caught.   (Abby, page 215)
To conclude, Allison Brennan has another winner on her hands with Fear No Evil, the third book in The No Evil Trilogy.   This book is an un-put-down-able read that keeps one tied up in knots of fear and tension as Brennan weaves a chilling tale of suspense and incorporates a bit of romance.   The winning features of this book include: {1} Dillon Kincaid, a handsome, compelling, loyal, intelligent, steadfast hero that was easy to admire and love.   {2} Katherine "Kate" Donovan, a smart, driven, strong-willed, 'take no prisoners'-type heroine who inspired awe at the lengths she was willing to go to find the villain. {3} A truly heinous, chilling villain, richly developed to showcase his remorselessness (along with several supporting villains and a villainess).   {4} Off the charts tension and suspense ran through the entire story.   {5} The action scenes move the story along at a strong, fast pace.   {6} A strong emotional connection to the characters inspired tears and even moments of laughter.   {7} A tad bit of romance, though a bit unrealistic, added a special touch to the story.   {8} The inclusion of spicy, heated, emotional lovemaking.   And {9} wonderfully written secondary characters, including: {a} Jack Kincaid, {b} Lucy Kincaid, {c} Connor Kincaid, {d} Carina Kincaid, {e} Patrick Kincaid, {f} Quinn Peterson, {g} Jeff Merritt, {h} Mick Mallory, and {i} Abigail "Abby" Resnick.   If you love dark, chilling Romantic Suspense, then this is the book to pick up.
--Vonda M. Reid (Friday, August 23, 2013 : 9:09 pm)     [326]

Chapter-By-Chapter Synopsis:   Allison Brennan -- Fear No Evil

Since this blog is more about providing a written record of the books I've read (so that I can come back and "remember" what the book was about) than building a massive following and trying to make a cent or two, I'm trying something new.   Rather than read the book and try to write a detailed, comprehensive review that will recall to mind the events that occurred in the story (without including too many spoilers), I decided to try to write a synopsis after reading each chapter.   So here is a Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis of Fear No Evil.   Even though an effort was made to keep the spoilers to a minimum, by its very nature, this process will be very revealing.

Prologue
Five years ago, Kate Donovan was too anxious to catch Trask and led her team into an ambush.   Kate lost her lover, Evan, in the trap and Trask and his partner, Roger Morton, took her partner, Paige Henshaw (who had saved her) with them when they left the warehouse.   Kate had stolen expensive equipment from FBI headquarters and called in favors trying to reach Paige before Trask raped and killed her on a live webcast because the FBI was now out to arrest her for disobeying orders.

Kate did not make it to the cabin in time to save Paige nor was she close enough to shoot Trask and his two men as they left the site in a Suburban.   Kate ran to the cabin, saw it was wired to blow, burst through the window, grabbed the knife used on Paige for evidence and ran.

Chapter One
Brennan has done a phenomenal job of inspiring nail-biting fear in the first chapter.   Dillon arrived late to Lucy's graduation ceremony only to discover that Lucy was missing.   Dillon, Carina, and Nick approached Lucy's classmate and friend, Becky Anderson, to find out why she didn't come to the graduation ceremony with her as she'd told her family.   Becky admitted that Lucy had gone to meet Trevor Conrad, a freshman from Georgetown that Lucy had meet online.

When Lucy wakes up in the hull of a small boat, chained to a pipe, she is afraid.   But that was nothing compared to the terror she felt when she meet Trask, who had been posing as Trevor during the year she chatted online with him.   Brennan inspired her readers to feel that same terror when Trask told Lucy:
"You don't understand now, but you will.   Very, very soon.   Your family might try to find you, but you'll never see them again."   (Trask, page 16)
Brennan has created a villain with ice in his veins and in his pale blue eyes.   Brennan usually increases the suspense and tension slowly chapter by chapter, but she has dumped readers head first into the river of fear in this book.   Trask leaves Lucy in the hull and thinks that she is perfect.   He likes beautiful women who fight him when he rapes them.   Trask them begins to reveal his anger at being forced to hide for the past five years because Kate and Paige investigated his company, Trask Enterprises, a little too closely.   Trask lost millions because of Kate and he cannot wait until she is in his hands.

Chapter Two
Brennan begins to detail where Kate has been hiding in a mountaintop observatory in Mexico for the past two years, with a wall of monitors trying to find Trask.   Kate has to hide because her former boss, Jeff Merritt, is out for her head because she got Evan and Paige killed.   Kate details the cost that Trask charges his hundreds of thousands of viewers as he psychologically and physically tortures, then rapes and kills the girls he kidnaps.

How are readers supposed to sit still and read this book?   The tension and spine-tingling fear we feel for Lucy is just starting and the book has only reached chapter two.   When Kate finally finds the live feed, she can see that Lucy (Trask introduced her to his viewers) is young, beautiful, terrified and a fighter.   Kate sends the feed to her contact in the FBI.

Chapter Three
Brennan is doing a fantastic job of describing Dillon's frustration as he sits in the Kincaid kitchen consoling his mother, Rosa, but he knows what kind of psychopath took Lucy because of his job as a forensic psychiatrist.   Nick arrived and herds Dillon up to Lucy's room where Patrick is working on her computer.   Nick had reached out to FBI Special Agent in Charge, Quinn Peterson (The Hunt), who sent them the link that Kate had forwarded to him.   Patrick told Quinn that the FBI was now working with the San Diego Police Department on this case when Quinn told them about the task force being set up in Quantico.   Then Quinn told Dillon the countdown at the bottom of the screen was for Lucy's murder.

Kate is exercising while watching the feed, cheering for Lucy when she fights her attackers as Trask tells his viewers how much it will cost them to continue watching.   Kate is just praying that her programs can trace Trask before Lucy dies.   When Quinn texts Kate to not go after Trask alone, she recalls all her efforts to get the agency to believe Trask was killing girls five years ago.   She feels guilty for Paige's death, even though Paige had lied about getting backup.

As is typical of Brennan, she begins to delve into the mind of Trask, the villain.   There is nothing redeeming about this man who remembers when he was sixteen and he killed his first girlfriend, Monique, by accident.   The high was so incredible, he knew he would do the same act again.   Brennan increases the aura of fear because Trask is drawn to Lucy because she looks like Monique.

Chapter Four
The tension is off the charts as the minutes of Lucy's life tick by.   Dillon is pacing, unable to take his eyes from the feed, knowing what is going to happen to Lucy next.   Connor and Carina left the room and Patrick and Special Agent Joseph Garcia were working on Lucy's computer trying to track the feed.

Quinn arrives with the FBI file on Trask and begins to explain the problems the FBI has encountered trying to catch this predator.   Connor and Carina return and Connor rages at Quinn and the story of Kate unfolds.   Quinn explains about Kate's efforts to catch Trask and the FBI's unwillingness to work with her because of all the wrong leads and dead agents.   Kate is in hiding and will not come out until she is granted immunity and Merritt will not do that.

While the tension mounts as everyone (including the reader) feels that clock ticking down, Dillon tries to place himself in Kate's shoes and sits down to type details about Lucy and the Kincaid family trying to get her to respond to him.   Dillon has already started a profile on Trask and believes he can find Trask with Kate's help.

Chapter Five
The tension is non-stop.   First Lucy is smart enough to figure out that she has seen faces, so she is not only going to be raped, but they plan to kill her as well.   Lucy sees the blinking red light and figures she is being taped.   Determined to survive whatever happens to her, Lucy fights with Roger for the first performance and you can't help but cheer when she kicked him the balls.

Kate is torn as she continues to ignore Dillon's beautifully written, family revealing pleas for help.   But when she makes a typo "User not onlone," she turns off her terminal.   As Kate watches Lucy fight with Roger, she notices the sign language right before Trask cuts off the feed and sends Kate a personal message.   He was going to let her watch the rest of the show for free.

At the Kincaids, the tension is so strong that it's coming off the brothers in waves.   Especially when Trask cuts off their feed and sends a personal message to the FBI saying he didn't want them watch.   Patrick got them back online using Nick's credit card.   Dillon wanted to loose his temper just like Connor, but steps between Connor and Quinn and tells Connor to follow the money.   Quinn and Patrick begin feeding Nick and Connor information to start searching.

Kate contacts Dillon and tells him to look at Lucy's hands.   When Dillon warns Kate that Trask knows where she is, she already knows.   Could the tension get any worse!   Patrick is about to loose it as he and Dillon, who is doing everything in his power to remain calm, argue about what island Lucy might be on.   Then Patrick find's Kate's location.

Dillon calls his twin brother, Jack, who left for the military twenty years ago and after something happened to change Jack, he has distanced himself from the family ever since.   (There is definitely a story in there!   Can't wait to read Jack's story, Sudden Death.)   Dillon told Jack he needed his help to get him and Patrick to the facility where Kate is holed up, not only to save Lucy but also to save Kate from walking into a trap.   Brennan is doing an absolutely phenomenal job of keeping readers off balance with so many irons in the fire.   Then there are the strong emotions she is pulling forth from the reader as well as she paints a picture of Dillon struggling to hold his family together.
He was just better at holding back.   Assessing.   Being the reasonable, responsible, mature Kincaid.   Sometimes he wished he could explode with the injustice he saw in humanity.   But he couldn't.   People depended on his stability, particularly his family.   (Dillon, page 68)
Chapter Six
While she manages to keep the suspense levels at an all time high, Brennan also brings forth tears when she takes readers into the room with Lucy when she is raped by Roger as Trevor narrates for viewers.   Kate is torn up as well when she sees the online feed.

While Kate and Lucy endure, Kate remembers when she met Evan, when he moved into her town home, and how she told him her secrets -- like the lies she had to tell to get into the FBI Academy.   Kate remembers fighting with Evan about the Trask case because nobody believed Trask existed and that April Klinger, an "actress" for Trask Enterprises, hadn't been killed.   When Paige interrupts her argument with Evan with the news that Denise Arno was willing to meet with them, Kate asks Evan to support her investigation by coming along.   Kate continues to feel guilty because Evan believed she'd lied to him.   But it was Paige who said Merritt had approved the meeting and would provide backup.

Chapter Seven
Brennan sure knows how to keep readers in suspense.   Dillon goes into the little bar in Hidalgo to wait for Jack and realizes as the only Kincaid who didn't know how to use a gun, he was way out of his element.   So while Brennan never lets the idea of Lucy's imminent demise leave the minds of the readers, she now inserts the puzzle of what happened between the twin brothers Dillon and Jack that sets them so quickly at odds.
Dillon was slow to anger, but Jack had always been the one to set him off.   (Dillon, page 83)
Brennan inspires just as much emotion as suspense and intrigue as she takes us back to Lucy who is trying to figure out what she did to deserve this.   Brennan does a phenomenal job of inspiring our sympathy as Lucy must deal with the shame of having to walk naked past four men and a smiling, game-playing Trevor, but also the cruel eyed Denise who belittles her with words as well.
She was changing, it wasn't a sudden shift, but a process.   Something unexplainable was going on inside her.   (Lucy, page 86)
Chapter Eight
Brennan is including more twists and turns in this story than a plate full of spaghetti.   This book is impossible to put down.

As Jack and his unit escorts Dillon, Patrick, and Connor up the mountain, Dillon recognizes a complexity in Jack and knows that Jack is protecting him as well as escorting him.   For the first time in his life, Dillon, who has been admired and respected his entire career, is feeling inadequate to the task set before him.   Brennan does a great job of detailing the science required in Dillon's job and explains why this scenario is more difficult.

Brennan also begins to detail more of Trask's past as he compares April to Lucy, who is currently dancing for his audience.   Trask remembers how he had liked April and hadn't meant to kill her until he realized it was the only way to achieve the high he was reaching for.   It felt amazing that this embodiment of evil had parents as Trask wishes his pathetic father could see all the wealth, power and fear he wielded now.

Kate is wary when her machines spit out the coordinates of Trask's location too quickly.   Unable to trust her instincts, Kate sent the coordinates to Quinn and warns him of the trap factor.

Brennan throws in a great big surprise.   An undercover agent, Mick Mallory, is on the island with Trask and Lucy.   The problem is, Roger had never trusted Mick, so he has no cell, no idea where he is (Roger drugged him), and no idea how to save Lucy.   To top that off, Roger comes into the security unit where Mick is working to tell him that it will be his turn to rape Lucy at the twenty-fourth hour.

Chapter Nine
Brennan takes the mundane and makes it exciting.   Kate heard the Kincaids outside her door.   When Dillon refused to leave, Kate opened the door to green eyes and two guns pointed at her.

Once the Kincaids invaded Kate's territory, Dillon examined the sparse furnishings and Patrick admired the computers.   Kate got into a discussion regarding the advisability of trying to orchestrate a rescue of Lucy at the coordinates Kate sent to Quinn.   Kate gave the brothers many details about the way Trask operates while Dillon noticed the obvious pain and sadness written across Kate's face.

Their discussion was interrupted by Lucy's scream and Kate was shocked to see Denise Arno was alive and had just cut Lucy.

Chapter Ten
Brennan is subtly stressing the strained relationship between Jack and Dillon and Dillon's inability to read Jack so he can reconnect with him as Jack and his team prepared to leave with Connor and Patrick, who were headed to the island to which they had coordinates.   Jack thought Kate was crazy and told Dillon to wait for his return before leaving.

Always aware of Lucy on the screen, Dillon began profiling Trask, putting up with Kate's smart remarks.   Dillon wanted to know why Kate was so upset when she saw Denise online with Lucy -- demanding full disclosure as the only way to save Lucy.   Dillon stressed that saving Lucy was his first priority.
"Understand his past, getting a sense of his character and personality, will help us find him."   (Dillon, page 119)

"The more we know about the people he surrounds himself with, the more we know about Trask himself."   (Dillon, page 119)
After contacting Quinn, who was headed out with the FBI team that was going to the same island, Kate sensed Dillon's doubts and told him her instincts told her Trask was not on that island.   Dillon and Kate began going through Kate's files on Trask.

Chapter Eleven
Brennan begins developing and even bigger picture of what happened five years ago when Kate and Paige went after Trask through the eyes of Quinn when he is forced to confer with his boss's boss, Jeff Merritt.   It is obvious that Merritt is more concerned about incarcerating Kate than he is about catching Trask -- he is driven by revenge because he believes Kate led the woman he loved into an ambush.   Merritt revealed that he had a man deep undercover almost as an afterthought as Quinn left.
"We've invested a lot of time into finding Trask, instead of relying on a bitter, mentally unstable, renegade FBI agent who should be in prison."   (Merritt, page 130)
Brennan is doing such an incredible job of engaging the reader's emotions.   Jeff Merritt sits at the computer console in the task force room determined to find Kate and make her pay for her part in Paige's death -- unwilling to admit it was his fault for not sending in backup because he had been trying to teach Paige a lesson.   Jeff still carried the ring in his pocket that he planned to give to Paige, who had been pregnant with his baby.

Chapter Twelve
Brennan is painting a great big canvas, slowly revealing the details about Trask and his background.   As Trask sits alone on his deck he remembers his childhood, his ability to seem invisible and eavesdrop on adult conversations.   He remembers when he was thirteen and followed his stern, strict father, a distinguished judge, when he went to visit a house on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where he kept two prostitutes.   After being humiliated by those two women at the order of his father, Trask had never let a woman be in control of his life since.   Trask seeks vengeance because Kate was a woman responsible for disrupting his life to such an intense degree.

Wow!   The dynamics of the characters' relationships continues to shift and change.   Brennan introduces the romance as Kate, who is frustrated with Dillon's calm, reasonable study of the files and his discussion of Roger Morton, notices how attractive Dillon is.   But what really scares Kate is his ability as a shrink to expose all the guilt and regret bottled up inside her -- she is a psychiatrist's dream come true.

Brennan continues to surprise!   Jack returns to the observatory, sending his men with Connor and Patrick, because he figures Dillon might need his help.   When Lucy pops back on the screen, Kate angers Dillon with her remarks about there being no God, otherwise He would not allow that to happen.   When Dillon leaves the room, Jack invades her personal space to threaten her if Lucy dies.

Chapter Thirteen
Really like the way that Brennan introduced so many different voices as she told this story.   Patrick describes how he, Connor, Jack's two men, Lucky and Drake, go to meet Quinn and his four men and head out to the island.   Patrick did not know his absentee brother, Jack, but he was impressed with Jack's loyalty in the manner he provided transportation and men.   Brennan increases the suspense as she described their stealthy approach and then described Connor's hot-headedness when he rushed into the cabin where the dead girl sat and saw the message on the wall left for Kate.

Trask watched the entire event on his monitor, determined to identify the men who entered the cabin.   He blew the cabin because he had left a clue that only Kate could decipher.   He was determined to draw Kate to him and Lucy was the perfect trap.

Chapter Fourteen
Brennan presents a lot of introspection from Dillon to give readers a great deal of data on the physiology of his work as a forensic psychiatrist.   The way Dillon examines Trask and other killers from every angle is extremely fascinating and creates an admiration for Dillon as the hero.

Not only does Dillon delve into the psychology of the killer, but he is confronted with the interpersonal relationships in his family.   When Jack joins Dillon outside the observatory while he contemplates his anger at Kate, Dillon point blank asks Jack why he left the family and Jack point blank tells Dil to leave it alone.

Brennan continues to propel the tension even tighter as Trask communicates with Kate -- asking her to trade herself for Lucy.   Kate felt bad when she saw Connor and Patrick enter the shack before it exploded, but she could not tell Dillon because she was determined to examine the feed Trask told her to check to locate him while she was hacking into Stonebridge Academy's records for Dillon to examine Trask and Morton's background.

Chapter Fifteen
Jack came into the observatory to tell Dillon that Connor had burns and Patrick was in a coma.   They were heading back to San Diego.   Brennan increases the tension (as if that were possible) and inspires even more respect for Jack's instincts as Jack tells Dillon that Kate is holding out on him when they argue about Trask's whereabouts.   Naturally, Kate is going to do that 'To Stupid To Live' thing that heroines do because she is obsessed with finding Trask and ending her years of guilt and regret.   So when Dillon beautifully appeals to Kate to trust him, she turns the subject and asks him what he found out about Morton and the investigation turns another direction.   After Dillon calls Quinn and learns Patrick is still in a coma, he asked Quinn to send agents to Morton's parents house and find out if he was friends with any of the fifty-six people on the list he compiled.

Brennan continues to keep readers fascinated by the distance between Jack and Dillon.
Dillon raised an eyebrow.   "I guess I just don't know what to expect of you."
Dillon's brother stared into nothingness.   "I suppose I deserve that."   He turned back to Dillon, a tic in his neck showing that he was angry.   "I'm a lot of things, Dillon.   But more than anything, I'm a man of my word."   (page 168)
How could things get any more tense -- and heartbreaking.   Mick had come up with some coordinates from his homemade sextant that he couldn't send to Merritt, but decided to use an old FBI Academy code and piggyback them to Kate using Trask's direct feed.   Brennan has our hearts breaking as Mick acknowledged that he was playing a dangerous game when Roger came for him for his turn with Lucy.
Mick was already staring at his death warrant.   He didn't see any way out of this operation alive.   (Mick, page 169)
How can there be any more tension.   Just as Kate is packing up to head to the coordinates Trask gave her, another rapist comes onto the screen . . . and an odd transmission.   Kate puts two and two together to come up with an undercover agent.   Kate frantically determines the second set of coordinates eighty miles away from Trask's) while texting Trask to get that man off Lucy.   And then Kate sees the almost imperceptible change in Lucy as the slightly familiar man climbed on top of Lucy.

Brennan wrote some very poignant words from Lucy about the rape of her soul as well as her body when another rapist showed up.   For the first time Lucy had hope as the rapist whispered to Lucy he'd sent for help, to pay attention before he was pulled off her.   Lucy listened as Trevor and Roger argued because Trevor was leaving in the middle of the feed and wanted Roger, Frank and Denise to perform for the cameras.

Chapter Sixteen
Brennan continued to deliver data about Trask's history -- with his father and Kate when Roger confronted him about pulling Lucy from the feed.   Roger believed Kate was too wily to play games with and Trask should just kill her, but Trask was driven to prove he was better.   Trask wished that the father who humiliated him and disowned him on his twenty-first birthday was alive so he could return the favor.

Dillon continued to work the case, getting frustrated at Kate because she would not level with him.   When Dillon leaves to call Connor to check on Patrick and to continue working on his profile on Trask, he believes that brains can win over brawn.   Brennan proved that to be a true hypothesis when Dillon returned to the observatory to find the note from Kate.   Dillon hollered for Jack, who held up the battery to the Stationair Kate had stashed about a mile away.   (cute ☺)

Chapter Seventeen
Another well-written scene when Dillon arrives at the plane with battery in hand and confronts Kate about being too focused on her vendetta to think straight.   Dillon told Kate, as he and Jack climbed into the Cessna 206, that she was stuck with them until Lucy was rescued.   Kate told Dillon about the two coordinates, the probable undercover man, her plans and Jack suggested they refuel in Red Rock.   Kate did not believe Dillon when he said they were all going to walk away from this alive.

Chapter Eighteen
More characters were introduced as the plot continued to thicken.   Quinn woke his friend, forensic psychiatrist, Hans Vigo, to find out who, what, when, and how about the undercover agent.   Hans reminded Quinn about what a serpent Merritt was when Quinn also asked Vigo to recommend a trustworthy agent in Boston to send to interview Charles Morton.

This is so sad.   Trask is in his office doing background checks on Mick.   Mick checked out, but when Trask found that Trina Bowers, the women Mick was to have raped to get thrown in prison worked for a law firm that didn't exist, he knew Mick was an undercover agent.   Trask continued his research, memorizing who all the Kincaids where just in case they showed up before heading out to confront the infiltrator.

Chapter Nineteen
Four hours into the flight, Quinn called Dillon and gave him a list of three friends of Roger Morton's from Stonebridge Academy: {1} Paul Ullman, {2} Adam Scott, and {3} Trevor Conrad.   After Quinn detailed the statistics of each of these boys, it was obvious what Trask's given name was.   Quinn was sending Agent Resnick to the Academy to gather more information.   Jack stopped Dillon from telling Quinn where they were headed when Quinn realized Dillon was flying somewhere.

Brennan continues to develop the relationship between these three characters when Kate get's testy with Dillon's questions and reveals that she was a product of rape and that her mother left her with her grandparents when she was five.   Jack is becoming such a fascinating person as he reveals very little about himself in a wonderfully written conversation.
"Nice friends."
"I have a lot.   Surprised?"
"It sure isn't for your bedside manner."
"Ouch," Jack said.   He leaned over and whispered in Kate's ear, "Just because I'm for hire doesn't mean the government doesn't hire me." . . .  
. . .
Dillon had always assumed Jack was still in the military, one way or the other.   "Who do you work for?" he asked his brother.
"Mostly the good guys," Jack said, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes again, but he wasn't fooling Dillon.
"So you're not in the military anymore?"
"What does it look like to you?"
"It looks like you won't answer my damn questions."
"Double ouch."
And he didn't answer Dillon's questions.
Brennan is doing a stellar job of introducing new people into the story that just grab your attention and add such a rich flavor to the story.   Loved the way this scene was written.   Special Agent Abigail "Abby" Resnick drove to Stonebridge Academy on her own time and compared the opulent school to her upbringing on the wrong side of the tracks of Richmond, Virginia.   Her smile didn't get her past the butler to speak with the headmaster, George Fleischer, but the name Trevor Conrad worked wonders.   Abby left the school with the information about why Adam, the ringleader, was not reinstated when Trevor was killed in an accidental explosion and a picture of Adam.

Chapter Twenty
The tension regarding Lucy has been in the background for such a while now, that there is a different aura of suspense running through the story as all the parties search to find Trask.   Quinn called Merritt to his office to discuss his use of a mentally unstable agent (Mick's wife was killed three years ago) for an unsanctioned assassination assignment.   Quinn then asked Merritt to drop all his charges against Kate because he needed her help to identify the picture they had of Scott.

Dillon and Kate were waiting in a building in the mercenary camp outside Red Rock for Jack to get their plane refueled.   When Kate asked Dillon about the distance between himself and Jack, even more details about Jack were revealed as well as Dillon's difficulty in dealing with the distance.
seeing Jack again conflicted Dillon.   They were different people today, with no way to regain what they'd had growing up.   They'd grown apart, leading different lives, going down dramatically different paths.   (Dillon, page 225)
Emotion: Dillon could see that Kate was not a renegade, but a dedicated Agent on the side of right and he pulled her into his arms when she finally broke down and told him about Paige's horrible death and the lack of backup.

Investigation: Dillon and Quinn communicated, sharing Scott's picture and details about his time at Stonebridge as well as Mallory working undercover for Merritt.   Jack arrived to tell them the arrangements he made to transport them to the island where Lucy was being held and Dillon sent Quinn the coordinates.

Wouldn't you just know it!   After leaving Lucy out of the picture and relaxing a bit because her horror wasn't staring you in the face, Brennan brings Lucy back into the story to face the pain and humiliation of Roger coming for her.

Chapter Twenty-One
The story slowed down a bit as Jack flew the plane and Kate kept track of Lucy on her computer.   Dillon could not concentrate because not only was Lucy being raped, but there was a poll in the corner of the screen asking viewers how Lucy should die.   Jack, Kate and Dillon were bouncing ideas off one another trying to figure out why Scott wanted Kate at Mount Baker and had Lucy eighty miles away.

Brennan went from slow and steady to the speed of lightning in a flash as she jumped from scene to scene as the FBI and the Kincaids close in on Trask.   Vigo and Abby go Paul Ullman's Madison Avenue highrise with a warrant.   Vigo lets Quinn know that Trask was tipped off, got half of his money out of the accounts before Ullman jumped over the balcony to his death.   Jack is waiting for Trask at the meeting spot.   Trask is waiting for Kate to show up with Mallory tied up next to him.

Chapter Twenty-Two
Brennan has me on pins and needles as she continues to jump from scene to scene as Dillon and Kate head toward the island where Lucy is being held.   She even takes a bit of time to insert a bit of the romance that has been very blatantly absent from this book as Dillon looks at Kate and sees a woman unlike anyone he had ever met and Kate looks at Dillon and sees the kind of man she would like to spend the rest of her life with (if she lived).

Events being happening in a rapid-fire sequence.   Jack has no choice but to refrain from shooting Trask because if he didn't check in, Lucy would be killed.   Trask gets a phone call, shoots Mallory and speeds off.   Jack calls for help for Mallory.   In the hospital Mallory awakes and calls Merritt.   Merritt heads for Seattle.

Chapter Twenty-Three
Brennan gave us an exciting chapter as Dillon and Kate rescued Lucy and Trask watched from a webcam.

Chapter Twenty-Four
Emotion:   Dillon the psychiatrist had no idea how to help Lucy as he took her back to the island where Quinn, Jack and Hank waited.   Quinn brought his wife, Miranda, along to help with Lucy.

Action:   Jack, Dillon, Quinn went back to island to get Kate.

Chapter Twenty-Five
Brennan brought forth tears as Dillon, a big, strong, heroic man of words had no idea how to comfort his sister when he went to Lucy's hospital room.   And afterwards when he left the hospital room and Carina walked into his arms.

Dillon joins Quinn to talk about interviewing Morton to try and find Scott, whose hatred of women, and Kate in particular, will force him to come after her.   Dillon continued to profile Scott as the discussed ways to continue working the case.   Quinn broke the news to Dillon that Merritt was in town and planned to take Kate into custody.

Brennan finally got to the romance part of this Romantic Suspense novel.   Dillon was not used to his emotions being all over the place as he went to see Kate, all battered and vulnerable, in her hospital room.   Brennan wrote a moving scene between Dillon and Kate as he told her about Merritt's arrival and his willingness to help her disappear if she couldn't cope.

Then Brennan took us to the other end of the spectrum when she brought smiles when Jack and Carina blocked the self-important, blustering Merritt from barging into Lucy's room to debrief her.   Merritt was determined to make Kate and Scott pay for his failures when it came to Paige so he headed to Kate's room and found her gone.

Chapter Twenty-Six
A beautifully written, emotional engaging love scene between Dillon and Kate.   Brennan closed the chapter describing the difficulties Trask was experiencing reaching fulfillment with the girl as his mind jumped from Mina, to Monique, to Kate.

Chapter Twenty-Seven
Quinn woke Dillon and Kate to tell them that Merritt was headed to Washington to arrest Kate.   Kate agreed to turn herself in to Quinn at the Seattle FBI office so he could retain some control over the situation.

Trask, however, is not finished with Kate.   He sent Kate a video of Paula Corbin, the woman he killed last night in her stead.   Dillon, however, noticed in the video that Trask was furious because he was unable to get hard during the rape and strangulation.   Trask is totally losing it and decides to go to San Diego to get Lucy and lure Kate back into his clutches.

Chapter Twenty-Eight
At the FBI office Dillon supports Kate as she is locked in an investigation room and then joins Quinn for their interview of Morton.

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Merritt continues to try and throw his weight around, already scheduling a hearing for Kate before the Office of Professional Responsibility.   Dillon comes through like a true hero.
He leaned forward and kissed her, "I'm not leaving you, Kate."
"I could be in prison."
"I'll wait."
She stared into his intense green eyes.   "You would, wouldn't you?"
He nodded, kissed her again.   "You're not alone, Kate.   And you'll never be alone again."   (page 334)
Dillon and Kate insist on traveling to San Diego with Quinn, who must interview Lucy.

Chapter Thirty
Dillon called Jack to ask him to stay a few more days, that he, Kate and Quinn were headed to San Diego.   Dillon told Jack to let Lucy see Patrick, it would be good for her.   It was.

Merritt burst into the interrogation room where Kate was being held and handcuffed her to the table and set the DVD player on recycle, forcing her to watch Paige's rape and death over and over.

Chapter Thirty-One
Quinn contacted the OPR board to tell them about Merritt overstepping the bounds of humaneness with Kate.   Kate let Quinn know that she had copies of files that were missing from the Trask case.   They believed Merritt pulled them to cover his actions.

Chapter Thirty-Two through Chapter Thirty-Six
The big finale between Dillon, Kate, Lucy, and Trask.

Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kate before the OPR board.

Books In The Series: "The No Evil Trilogy"
# Date Title Hero Heroine
01.02-2007Speak No EvilNicholas P. "Nick" Thomas; Gallatin County, Montana SheriffCarina Maria Kincaid; San Diego Homicide Detective
02.03-2007See No EvilJulia Chandler, Deputy District AttorneyConnor Mateo Kincaid, Private Investigator, former SDPD
03.04-2007Fear No EvilDillon Kincaid; Forensic PsychiatristKatherine "Kate" Donovan, FBI Special Agent

Characters Found In "Fear No Evil"
Character Description
Dillon Kincaid[Hero] forensic psychiatrist (10) when Justin killed changed career path from sports medicine to forensic psychiatrist (30) Dr. (48) oldest Kincaid son (55) better at holding back; assessing; being the reasonable, responsible, mature Kincaid; people depended upon his stability (68) only Kincaid who didn't know how to use a gun (82) not identical twins; 6'2"; light-brown curly hair he tamed by keeping it short; fair-skinned; green-eyed; lean; athletic (83) physically fit; used to being in control of any given situation; people came to him for his advice and opinions; respect and admiration of everyone he worked with, his family, and friends; good at his job, his vocation, his ability to crawl into the mind of society's most sick and depraved (92) tall; handsome; in shape; no bodybuilder; GQ good looks; square jaw; intelligent eyes; stared as if he could literally read her thoughts (102) sun-streaked, short light-brown that fell in waves across his forehead; strong, intense, focused eyes (103) reasonable; logical; straightforward; focused (140) classically, perfectly handsome; light-brown, sun-streaked wavy hair; tall; trim; all muscle; worked out regularly; sexy; small, imperfect cleft in his chin; sleek, chiseled face (142) 38-y-o; consulted with District Attorney's Office on criminal cases (207) 20 yrs older than Lucy (226) steady; self-confident; smart (251) narrow waist; flat stomach (293) a defined six-pack; thighs were solid muscle; the type to have serious, discreet, and long-term relationships; prime; compassionate (294)
Katherine "Kate" Donovan[Heroine] FBI (bc) excellent marksmanship skills (4) Special Agent (17) keeping strong; staying smart (20) blond hair; blue eyes (21) on the sex crimes task force of the Violent Crimes / Major Offenders unit (VCMO) (24) headstrong (37) notorious in the department; either love her or hate her (50) obsessive personality; a pit bull with evidence (76) helped solve Williamette Strangler case 2-y-a (77) all muscle; mid-30s; shortish hair so blond it was nearly white; no makeup; pain and sadness written across her face (104) vivid blue eyes (117) paced like a tigress, lean and rippling with suppressed energy (119) almost a legend (170) physical strength; mental prowess; training; determination (193) vulnerable, lonely woman (194) beautiful when she smiled; problem with obedience and authority (212) don't know who father was; mother dumped with grandparents when she was 5; mother raped (213) complex; vibrant blue eyes; not a renegade FBI agent; not a narrow-minded revenge nut; a disciplined and trained federal cop (226) Paige was closest thing she had to family; shuffled from stranger to stranger when grandparents died (229) stunning profile; hard liens softened by large blue eyes and a small, aristocratic nose; no makeup; tan, smooth skin; hair sun-bleached even lighter than her natural blond shade; all muscle; lean; athletic (247) Arlington Field Office (330)
. . . . . .
Trask[Villain] kidnapped Paige (2) founder of Trask Enterprises; Caucasian or light-skinned Hispanic, perhaps European; high-chiseled cheekbones; strong chin; darker than Scandinavian, lighter than Mediterranean (3) icy blue eyes (4) 35-40-y-o; blond; windswept hair; handsome; icy pale, hard, cold blue eyes (15) liked the name Trask, even though it wasn't his (17) a computer genius (27) son of wealth and power; few dared say no to him (40) felt no regret (41) arrogant; fingerprints not in the system (46) man without remorse; gets his kicks from raping, torturing, killing women; thrives on risk and taunting law; smarter than the law (48) like a chameleon, constantly changing; expert knowledge of banking, investments, money exchange, tax laws (49) smart, genius IQ level; enjoys grandstanding (51) broad build; short-cropped blond hair (62) "all about power" (80) "He thinks he's God." (81) a genius; too vain to change his appearance; vindictive; powerful; not going to let Kate find him until he was ready (107) imprisoned women for pleasure; relished the power he had over life and death (114) orderly; mature; charisma; ability to bring people into his fold; help in his killings (115) smart; logical; methodical; cunning; not going to slip up (123) an only child; master at blending into surroundings; Stonebridge Academy (135) child prodigy (136) hated women (152)
Trask profile[per Dillon] forty, plus or minus; from wealthy family; used to privilege and getting whatever he wanted; parents were strict, probably excessively; resents authority because of that; father probably a high-ranking public official , attorney, or some position of authority he enjoyed abusing; may not have been abused in the traditional sense (119) if physically abused, it was when he was very young; probably had a volatile temper, even as a young child, unable to own up to his mistakes; has never felt remorse (120) can't enjoy sex without hurting or killing the woman; a deep and longstanding fear of the power women could have over him; something happened in his youth by an authority figure that twisted sex in his head (156) unusually bright and industrious ; school bored him; turned to challenging himself, probably by hacking computers; parents not involved with his day-to-day life; if had a sibling, was much older, achieved a lot, perfect in parents' eyes; would fail when tried to fill those big shoes, then punished for messing up (186) curious about his surroundings, got him in trouble; money important to him; thrived on moving money around; got thrill out of making his fortune through the sex trade, something that would embarrass his parents (187) the fact that a woman thwarted him will eat at him; women are receptacles to serve him, are worthless and lesser humans (279) despises authority; always been in charge; doesn't take orders or advice for others; when things go wrong, will blame others (280)
. . . . . .
Becky Anderson[One Appearance] Lucy's friend; petite blond; high school graduate (10)
Angela[No Appearance] Trask's victim (39)
Denise Arno [Villain] Trask's partner; so submissive he didn't kill her (18) Kate and Paige's contact inside Trask Enterprises (24) cruel eyes; short; skinny; mousy brown hair tucked behind her ears; had once been pretty; voice sounded as if had laryngitis with the hoarseness; piercing pale eye, so pale a blue they looked colorless (87) wack-job; creepy (98) autoeroticism; hates that Trask wants other women (123) a wild card; subservient; would do anything for Trask; hated the women he brought in; deep, hot jealousy (153)
Trina Bowers[No Appearance] next door neighbor Mick was supposed to have raped (203) Mallory had followed her home from her job, a law firm in downtown Boston (204)
Carl[One Appearance] works with Quinn (330)
Carol[No Appearance] Trask's victim (39)
Christy[No Appearance] Trask's victim (39)
Trevor Conrad[Secondary Character] in college; Lucy met online; Lucy went to meet at Starbucks (12) freshman at Georgetown; from Los Angeles (13) talked to Lucy online for past year (15) 19-y-o; Lucy met in student chat room (16) killed by Trask, who took his name (17) Roger's friend at Stonebridge Academy; died on campus in an accident; Roger's roommate the year of the expulsion (209)
Paula Corbin[One Appearance] woman in Anacortes that Scott killed (347)
Drake[One Appearance] one of Jack's men; working with Patrick, Connor (145)
George Fleischer[One Appearance] headmaster of Stonebridge Academy for past 28 years (215) younger than expected; dark, graying hair; impeccably dressed in a tailored suit; focused clear blue eyes (216)
Professor Fox[No Appearance] Kate's partner; ancient (21) grumpy; 70-y-o (142)
Frank[Villain] one of Trask's men (178)
Joseph "Joe" Garcia[Brief Appearances] FBI Special Agent; working with Patrick on Lucy's computer (44) Joe (52)
Erica Gomez[No Appearance] Trask's victim; body not found (47)
Hank[Brief Appearances] helicopter pilot taking Kate, Dillon to island; Jack trusted (231)
Paige Henshaw[Brief Appearances] FBI Agent; Kate's partner; kidnapped by Trask (1) rape and murder broadcast life (2) Kate's best friend (5) pregnant with Jeff's child (132) spunky; courageous; beautiful (288) Special Agent (310)
Madeline James[One Appearance] director of the review committee (402)
Joanna[No Appearance] Trask's victim (39)
Oliver Johnson[No Appearance] one of Trask's men; killed 5-y-a (310)
Monica Julian[One Appearance] high school graduate; tall, lithe blond (8)
Carina [Maria] Kincaid[Secondary Character] [Heroine of Book 1 / Speak No Evil] Dillon's sister; graduated from same high school as Lucy 14-y-a (9) homicide detective (10) 33-y-o; engaged (207) San Diego Police Department (287)
Connor Mateo Kincaid[Secondary Character] [Hero of Book 2 / See No Evil] tallest Kincaid (9) PI (29) volatile (52) same hard edge as Jack without the dissociation; cop (103) cmk; 35-y-; private investigator (204)
Jack Kincaid[Major Secondary Character] [Sudden Death] Dillon's twin; hadn't spoken in 11 years; gone off to do his own thing 20-y-a (70) quiet arrogant confidence (71) fiercely loyal, had been since early childhood; joined military when 18; something happened then that kept him from family (72) not identical twins; 6'2"; military cut black hair; dark-skinned; black eyes; muscular; in military more than half his life; in special operations for a decade; lines on his face; experience in his eyes (83) a man of his word; complex (91) all military; hard-edged (103) fierce sense of loyalty; code of honor; showed no fear, no remorse, little emotion; his actions had purpose (114) wore guns, ammo and equipment comfortably (153) Colonel (164) 38-y-o; his file beyond top secret (206) "just because I'm for hire doesn't mean the government doesn't hire me (214) joined Army right out of high school to put in minimum years to get free college education; something happened his first tour; never spoken of it; became career military; chose to keep his family at arm's length (225)
Lucia "Lucy" Kincaid[Major Secondary Character] [The Lucy Kincaid Series] graduating from high school; 18-y-o (8) Dillon's beautiful, dark-haired sister; worked hard for her grades; accepted into father's alma mater, Georgetown (8) much younger than her 6 siblings (11) "Luce" (12) smart; beautiful; youngest of seven; wants to be a diplomat; fluent in 4 languages; loves Irish folk music and Cuban rock; best friends with Justin (55) straight-A student (85) tall; lithe; brunette; a dancer; 12 years of ballet (93) sassy; smart; scholarship to Georgetown; thrives in debate; beautiful; kind; mouth on her (155) parents wrapped around her little finger; siblings received brunt of her sarcasm (156) long, thick wavy hair; big brown eyes; flawless tan complexion; tall; slender; curves in all the right places (206)
Pat Kincaid[No Appearance] Colonel (30) Dillon's father (45) moved from military base to military base (72) retired army (206)
Patrick James Kincaid[Secondary Character] Dillon's brother; computer e-crimes expert; created Lucy's online timeline (29) thinner than brothers; fair skin; dark hair (103) PJK; 32-y-o; sergeant in the San Diego Police Department (204) 13 years older than Lucy (226)
Rosa Kincaid[One Appearance] Dillon's mother; Cuban features; fiercely determined (30) escaped from Cuba (206)
Robert P. Kinney[One Appearance] high school graduate (9)
April Klinger[No Appearance] Kate, Paige investigating her murder; Trask killed, buried (17) ran away when 17; investigator her grandmother hired saw her murder online, took to FBI (23) petite; curvy; blond; dancer; addicted to drugs (93) feisty (94)
Lucky[One Appearance] one of Jack's men; working with Patrick, Connor (145)
Mick Mallory[Secondary Character] deep undercover (97) Roger suspicious of him; drugged at the rendezvous point (98) FBI Academy (169) Undercover persona: served 5 out of 8-year sentence for rape; warrant out for parole violation; had spent time in prison to meet Skud McGinley; arrested in Massachusetts (203) good agent at one time; wife killed 3-y-a, developed a death wish; technically on psychiatric leave; Merritt had no business bringing him in on this case (220) 40-y-o; short military cut; hard brown eyes; 3" scar across his cheekbone (281)
Skud McGinley[No Appearance] old friend of Trask and Roger from early days of Trask Enterprises; in and out of prison for variety of drug-related charges; got life for whacking his old man for insurance money; kept in touch with Roger over the years; couldn't be bought; ornery as they came; hated authority (203)
Meghan[No Appearance] Trask's first online kill (38)
Jeff Merritt[Secondary Character] Kate's former boss; determined to lock Kate up for life (27) as headstrong as Kate about catching Trask (37) assistant director from Quantico; Quinn's boss's boss (127) Paige's lover; vendetta against Kate (128) a serpent (201) short; lean; blond; goatee; no mustache (310) arrogant prick (311)
Mina[Brief Appearance] Trask's father's regular prostitute (138)
Charles Morton[No Appearance] Roger's father; living in Boston (201) hates his son (210)
Roger Morton[Villain / Major Secondary Character] Trask's partner; carried Paige out of the warehouse (4) big man; blond hair (14) ran Trask Enterprises (23) captured on tape raping Paige; wanted by FBI (24) frm a wealthy Northeast family (140) Stonebridge Academy; graduated in 1989; with Trask since the beginning (141) wasn't in prison; wasn't in military; didn't own property; mother dead; father disowned him (141) from a wealthy family; CEO of a pornography business (152) parents in shipping, old established business; from Massachusetts (165) dark hair had begun to gray; sported the beginnings of a beer belly; muscular; thick neck and hands; played with class ring on his pinky finger; neither handsome nor ugly, an average guy sho worked out to build muscles, but as he aged the muscles were turning to flab (319) classic power rapist (322)
Ollie[Villain] one of Trask's men (18), (258)
Senator Jonathan Paxton[No Appearance] low-level politician at the time Adam killed Monique (325)
Monique Paxton [No Appearance] Trask's first girlfriend when he was 16-y-o (40) long, thick wavy hair; big brown eyes; flawless tan complexion; tall; slender; curves in all the right places (206)
Miranda Peterson[Brief Appearances] [The Hunt] Quinn's wife (131) tall; lean; long black hair pulled into a high ponytail (268)
Quincy "Quinn" Peterson[Major Secondary Character] [The Hunt] Special Agent in Charge in Seattle office; Nick's best friend (31) tall; lanky (44) in same class as Kate at Academy (52) blond (149)
Rayanna[No Appearance] Trask's second online victim (38)
Abigail "Abby" Resnick[Secondary Character] FBI Special Agent (215), Hans trusted; Boston office (201) grew up in urban hellhole; didn't mind breaking rules, didn't much care for the rules, didn't want to get caught (215) public school in Richmond, Virginia (215) poor girl from wrong side of tracks (216)
Richie[Villain] one of Trask's men (265)
Adam Scott[Secondary Character] Roger's friend at Stonebridge Academy; year older; expelled with Roger and Paul over something Morton wouldn't disclose; Scott never returned to school (209) from New York; father a judge; mother from the established New England Family of Mortimer (210) 17-y-o when expelled; graduated from Georgetown (246)
Judge Scott[No Appearance] Adam's father; upstanding; righteous; strictest bastard on the Eastern Seaboard; regularly visited prostitutes; stern man; lived on acre of land north of Manhattan; quietly wealthy; old money; antiques; lush furnishings; Stonebridge Academy; the right friends; darkness underneath (135) distinguished judge (138)
Mrs. Scott[No Appearance] Adam's mother; dull but pretty; not the sharpest tack in the box; worshiped the ground her husband walked upon (138)
Evan Standler [Brief Appearances] FBI Agent (75) Kate's lover; died in trap set by Trask (1) lived with Kate in small town house; special agent in charge out of Washington, D.C.; in Public Corruption division; had served in VCMO for years (75) had been good to Kate; meet when assigned to same special task force; Evan moved into her town home after year together; tolerant (76) butted heads with Paige (78) Special Agent in Charge (310) smart; fun; dedicated; would have liked Dillon (332)
Andrew Stanton[No Appearance] DA; get him to issue warrants (65)
Justin Stanton[No Appearance] Dillon's nephew; murdered 11-y-a; would have been graduating today; his death affected career choices of Kincaid children (10) 7-y-o when pulled from his bedroom and murdered (30)
Nelia [Kincaid Stanton] [No Appearance] [Playing Dead] Dillon's older sister; Justin's mother; never recovered from son's murder (55) in Idaho; light gone from her eyes (155)
Nick Thomas[Secondary Character] [Hero of Book 1 / Speak No Evil] Carina's fiancé (9) worked with Quinn on Butcher investigation in Montana (45) knee surgery 3 months ago (84)
Paul Ullman[Brief Appearances] Roger's friend at Stonebridge Academy; stockbroker for one of the big five in New York (208) lives in penthouse; high security; nets five million a year; from old money out of Vermont; estranged from his parents; takes care of his mentally ill sister, who's in an expensive assisted-living facility in Vermont (209) Scott's roommate (230) the stockbroker for all the corporations on which Scott sits on the board; Ullman carries Scott's proxy; short, wiry man of 37; black, sliced-bakc hair; impeccably tailor Italian suit (238) laundered Scott's money (246)
Angie Vance[No Appearance] [Speak No Evil] tragic case (114) killer suffocated her; laid on her while she died; afterwards treated her like garbage (115)
Hans Vigo[Brief Appearances] Quinn's friend (200) forensic psychiatrist (201) award winning grin (237)

Locations, Organizations Found In "Fear No Evil"
Location / Organization Description
PrologueFive Years Ago (1)
Achilles Film Distributionlong-standing snuff-film distributor (46)
Anacorteswhere Trask watched Dillon and Kate invade his island (266)
Bellingham Generalhospital Mick taken to (255)
Branson, Ordello, Kimball & Associateslaw firm Trina Bowers supposedly worked for; didn't exist (204)
Butcher Investigation[The Hunt] Nick worked with Quinn on this investigation in Montana (45)
Connecticutwhere Stonebridge Academy located (141)
GeorgetownPat Kincaid's alma mater; Lucy planned to attend (8)
Hidalgo, Texaswhere Dillon went to meet Jack (82)
Idahowhere Nelia Kincaid Stanton lived (55)
Jefferson Memorialwhere Denise was to meet Kate and Paige (79)
La Hondabar in Hidalgo, Texas (72) where Dillon went to meet Jack; description (82)
Los AngelesTrevor Conrad's hometown (13)
Massachusetts hometown of the Charles Morton family (165)
Mexiconear the West Texas border, couple hours out of Hidalgo, in the mountains north of Monterrey; where Kate was working (69)
MiramirQuinn has plane at this airport, at the Kincaid's disposal (185)
MontanaNick's home state (45)
MonterreyKate living a day's trip away (21)
Mount BakerNortheast of Seattle, Washington, near Mount Baker: the location Trask gave to Kate as his location (171)
OPROffice of Professional Responsibility: FBI's version of Internal Affairs; Kate expected to find herself brought before them (26)
Prince Edward Islandin eastern Canada; where Meghan found (69)
Public Corruption Evan Standler was assigned to this division (75)
Red Rockwhere Kate can refuel plane (194)
Quantico:FBI Academy (32)
San Diegohometown of the Kincaid family; book setting (8)
San Diego Police DepartmentPatrick's employer (33)
Seattle, Washington, Northeast of Seattle, Washington, near Mount Baker: the location Trask gave to Kate as his location (171)
Stationairplane Kate had hidden away (188) Cessna 206 (189)
Stonebridge AcademyTrask attended (135) Morton attended; in Connecticut; opened doors in 1909; expensive boarding school; grades: K through twelve (141) description of opulence (215) premier academy for young men age 5 to 18 (218)
Trask Enterprisesfounded by Trask; an online pornography company (3) legitimate and above board; used to hide Trask's entertaining sideline (17) had tentacles in many so-called legitimate Internet pornography sites (23) hundreds of thousand of regular paying customers at $9.95 to $29.99 a month (24)
VCMOViolent Crimes / Major Offenders unit; Kate assigned to this unit (24)
Washington, D.C.Evan Standler was special agent in charge out of Washington, D.C.; in Public Corruption division; had served in VCMO for years (75)
Williamette Strangler caseKate helped solve this case (77)

"Fear No Evil" Quotations
53His family was already fractured, yet even under tragedy they'd managed to stay together.   Lucy's death would break them.   Dillon couldn't let her die.   Especially like this.   (Dillon)
71Who cares about the damn feds?   Nothing but backstabbing bureaucrats with guns.   (Jack)
83Dillon was slow to anger, but Jack had always been the one to set him off.   (Dillon)
84I couldn't have kept Connor home if I'd tried."   He raised an eyebrow.   "Connor's a lot like you."   (Dillon)
86She was changing, it wasn't a sudden shift, but a process.   Something unexplainable was going on inside her.   (Lucy)
143she always did bring out the worst in people.   (Kate)
168"I'm a lot of things, Dillon   But more than anything, I'm a man of my word."   (Jack)
170You had to like someone who went balls to the wall when they believed in something.   (Mick)
215She didn't mind breaking rules -- she didn't much care for the rules, anyway -- but she didn't want to get caught.   (Abby)
225seeing Jack again conflicted Dillon.   They were different people today, with no way to regain what they'd had growing up.   They'd grown apart, leading different lives, going down dramatically different paths.   (Dillon)
357never in a million years had she thought anything would happen to her.   (Lucy)
362"It just proves that it doesn't matter how smart or careful your are; if a predator wants you he'll find a way."   (Kate)

Comments, Snarky Remarks, and Politically Incorrect Responses to Reviews Encountered Online
"Allison Brennan -- Fear No Evil"

So many times I want to respond to a reviewer's comments about a book . . . but common courtesy and the rules of the site prevent me from spouting off.   But here on my own site, I'm doing so.
Reviewer Link / Brief Synopsis Response Wanted To Make
Amazon
★☆☆☆☆
J. R. Perez
. . .even had nightmares. . . . will not read anymore of her novels.Just goes to show you want a gifted author Brennan is. Her portrayal of the characters was so well-developed, so remarkable, this woman had nightmares.
Good Reads
★★☆☆☆
Selu
{1} story of Dillon (yes, with the douchnozzle spelling) . . .
{2} there's nothing to indicate that Neila is now back to the fold . . .
Selu wrote an awesome review (even though I didn't agree with all her salient points).
{1} What does "douchnozzle" mean? Why is Dillon "douchnozzle" and Dylan okay?
{2} Obviously Selu is talking about details that have occurred in "The Lucy Kincaid Series." Since Selu claims to "retain information from ridic interviews," if she had read Playing Dead or had looked on Allison Brennan's website, she would know that Nelia was featured in this book and that is how she came to be reunited with the Kincaid family.

"Allison Brennan -- Fear No Evil" Review and Information Links
Rated Posted Site Notes, Comments, Etc.
----Allison Brennan's WebsiteAuthor
----Allison Brennan's FacebookAuthor
----Allison Brennan's TwitterAuthor
----You TubeThe No Evil Trilogy trailer
. . . . . . . . .. . .
4.5004-....-2007A Romance Review--Jackie // okay
4.39 average{44 reviews}Amazonas of: August 23, 2013
----American Author's AssociationBiography
4.27 average{44 ratings}Barnes and Nobleas of: August 24, 2013
Article02-08-2010Barnes and NobleAllison Brennan Article
Article01-04-2011Janet Gable BashmanWriting Powerful and Evocative Settings by Allison Brennan
----Books n BytesList of Allison Brennan's Books
Thread06-13-2010Coffee Time RomanceA.B.'s detailed response about "Series, Trilogies, Stand-Alones"
Article08-24-2012Criminal ElementAllison Brennan's article on what makes a Romantic Thriller // excellent
Article10-06-2008Dear Author--Mary-Frances Makichen // If You Like Allison Brennan // awesome
5.0004-21-2009Desert Rose Book Logue--Desert Rose // pretty good, quotes included
----Fantastic FictionList of Allison Brennan's Books
----Fict FactList of Books In The No Evil Trilogy
----Fiction DBList of Allison Brennan's Books
PR review03-15-2007Fresh Fiction--Sue Burke // "Chilling, Fast-Paced Thriller"
PR review05-30-2007Fresh Fiction--Rachael Dimond // "White Knuckle Suspense at It's Finest!"
4.22 average{1,803 ratings}Good Readsas of: August 23, 2013
Article08-23-2012Stacy GreenAllison Brennan Talks Writing a Killer Thriller Series
3.90 average{43 ratings}Library Thingas of: August 24, 2013
Interview11-20-2012Mysterious WritersAllison Brennan Interview (tied to Kiss Me, Kill Me) // very interesting
positive10-11-2011New To Writing Girl's Blog"This book is totally griping."
----Order of Books . comList of Allison Brennan's Books
4.10 average{212 ratings}Paperback Swapas of: August 24, 2013
----Publisher's Marketplacedetails about Allison Brennan's books, PR quotes, awards, etc.
Article03-30-2010RT {Romantic Times} Book ReviewsMessage From The Author // excellent
4.50 // Top Pick03-30-2010RT {Romantic Times} Book Reviews--Jill M. Smith // PR review
4.22 average{17 reviews}Shelfarias of: August 24, 2013
----Stop, You're Killing MeList of Allison Brennan's Books
Interview--Suspense MagazineAllison Brennan / March 2008 Author of the Month
--12-27-2005To Be ReadAllison Brennan's feelings about the day of first publication
PR review08-13-2010True Crime Books Reviews--Kim Cantrell // "Fear No Evil is Awesome"
Article02-28-2008Wow! Women On Writing!Suzanne Pitner Interview of Allison Brennan / so impressive
Interview05-19-2006Writer UnboxedTherese Walsh Interview of Allison Brennan / excellent detail
4.9508-25-2013Wolf Bear Does Booksshorter post on Amazon, Fiction DB, Good Reads, Library Thing, Shelfari

Notes:
♥   Disclaimer:   I Purchased This Book
♥   Very Subjective Rating
♣   Will add your review link of Fear No Evil to table, just ask