Fiction, Peoples & Cultures - Fiction

Imposter

Name: Imposter
Author: Davis Bunn
ISBN: 9781595542267

by Davis Bunn

Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

Matt Kelly's knack for concealing his identity is his greatest asset as a federal agent. But when an assignment gets personal, discovering who he really is may prove to be the toughest mission of all.

Synopsis

Publishers Weekly

The prolific inspirational novelist Bunn (The Lazarus Trap) is an able wordsmith, whether penning a historical romance series (Heirs of Acadia) or a sweet seasonal novella (Tidings of Comfort & Joy). But he's at his best in this absorbing faith-based suspense thriller. Federal agent Matt Kelly is the handsome, seemingly emotionless son of an aspiring Senate candidate. When Matt's beloved mother is brutally murdered, he sets out to find her killer. Helping him is the beautiful Consuela "Connie" Morales, who has been demoted to Baltimore Police desk work after refusing the sexual advances of her superior, but who is determined to return to active duty. The plot twists and turns as Matt discovers that the secret to his mother's murder may lie in his father's history as a soldier in Vietnam. Bunn knows how to craft a phrase, and his attention to detail, especially regarding explosives, is doled out in just the right measure. The story is admirably rich in strong women, from the pregnant newspaper reporter, Judy Leigh, to Connie Morales. Faith is treated with a light hand, which may attract new general readers. The plot occasionally gets confusing, and it's never completely clear what has frozen Matt's emotions, although Bunn offers clues. But these are minor quibbles in an engrossing, fast-paced tale that is by turns poignant and goose-bump provoking. (Mar. 7) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Davis Bunn

Davis Bunn is an internationally-acclaimed author who has sold more than four million books in fifteen languages. He has been honored with three Christy Awards and is a sought-after lecturer in the art of writing. Visit his website at davisbunn.com.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

A crack federal agent investigates his own mother's murder. Bunn (Drummer in the Dark, 2001, etc.) lets us know early and endlessly that protagonist Matt Kelly is an enigma: "He's like water. He flows around life, but there's nothing to see." Maybe Matt simply wants to present as little target as possible to censorious father Paul, a wealthy Baltimore developer who doesn't let his campaign for the U.S. Senate be derailed by the explosion that kills his wife in the opening pages. Whatever the reason, Matt's ability to "melt into any setting and become unseen" serves him well as an up-and-comer in the little-known bureau of State Department Intelligence. It doesn't gain him any traction, however, when he tries to help the Baltimore PD in their investigation of his mother's death. Smart money has pinned the blame on a group of neo-Nazis who recently purloined some assault rifles and explosives from the National Guard Armory, but Matt doesn't think that scenario makes sense. With little love lost for "fibbies," Baltimore's finest do everything they can to keep him from honing in on their case. Grizzled but goodhearted flatfeet Connie Morales and Lucas D'Amico are also initially turned off by the quiet, preternaturally handsome rich kid (in addition to his secretiveness, the author can't stop mentioning Matt's good looks), but they warm to him after martial-arts-schooled Matt helps save a cop's life during a shootout. Sexual tension between Matt and Connie simmers no more than is decent, the violence is strictly PG-rated and a high number of characters are regular churchgoers: Westbow is an imprint of Christian publishing powerhouse Thomas Nelson, after all. Thankfully, the author doesn'tmoralize nearly as much as one would expect. Regrettably, he doesn't develop the drama as well as one would expect, burying the makings of a fine thriller beneath layers of monotonous character development. Mediocre thrills, though it may interest those looking for a good, clean read.