NO PRISONERS Book Review

No Prisoners¹ by Ellis Blake, eBook, 392 pgs

Synopsis from Goodreads: Hannah Lyon is a brilliant, celebrated physicist, employed by a think tank outside of Albuquerque to question the very nature of how the world works. And her husband is missing. But not only is she struggling to cope with his sudden, baffling disappearance, no one believes her when she insists that Adam would never just leave. He was a loving husband, but more than that, a devoted father. He would never leave their young son Joe behind.

Detective Aloysius (Lou) Hunt assures Hannah they’re doing everything they can to find Adam, but Hannah doesn’t trust him. Hunt has done nothing but stonewall her at every turn. 

With no help from the authorities, Hannah is on her own to find Adam and bring him home, but uncovering the truth means revealing dark secrets in her husband’s past, and her own. Secrets better left buried.

When Hannah notices a red SUV stalking her every move, she takes matters into her own hands and sets No Prisoners speeding towards its shocking conclusion. In this twisty, gritty and evocative novel, No Prisoners by Ellis Blake blends heart-pounding suspense with an emotionally resonant,  razor-sharp exploration of grief, set against an unforgiving, icy landscape. 

BOOK REVIEW: I am not well versed in the geography of New Mexico. I know where the state is however reading that there was snow falling had me confused at first because I forgot that Rocky Mountains end in New Mexico...and wouldn't you believe it...right where our story is taking place. I felt so silly for about a third of the book because I refused to look at a map. Anyway, we go back and forth between following Hannah and Hunt. There is some science-y stuff mentioned a few times with words that went over my head but didn't take away from the story (she was explaining something about Black Hole's to her son) but there was also something nefarious alluded to that I haven't quite worked out. I actually got about 80% of the way through the book and started to wonder if this was going to be a series but it was wrapped up without feeling rushed.

I loved seeing the interactions between Hannah and Joe regarding his diabetes. There are some scenes we get where she is walking him through how to make adjustments to his insulin pump after testing his blood and before eating as well as how to make adjustments when he starts to feel off and tests to see if his sugars are too low or high. What is fascinating to me is that I have a friend that is Type 1 and remember her having to do all those calculations but then give herself her injections. No electronic pump attached to a cell phone like device that we have today. I do remember her once telling me that when she dies her stomach would show all the places that she ever had to give herself a shot.

Overall this a 4.5 (rounded up) for me. Like I said, there is something that I could feel or sense in the reading that never fully got addressed and it kind of irks me. The story is great. It's suspenseful and sometimes had me at the edge of my seat or constantly shifting because I couldn't sit still. The author gives such amazing detail that adds to the story. Hannah at some point is able to calculate that when her husband went missing there was extra weight in the vehicle. You'll have to read to see how because that is a fantastic detail that gives nothing away! I felt chilly when he described outside conditions. I could feel the frustration and anger when Hunt was blowing Hannah off. All in all it was a great book! It's out now (as of 7.21.26) and is available in all formats!

4.5/5 Stars

2026 Reading Challenge: 37/55 complete

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