Louisa Luna introduced Alice Vega and Max "Cap" Caplan in Two Girls Down, the story of a struggling single mother who leaves her two young daughters alone in the car in a parking while she quickly runs into a store to make a last-minute purchase. When she returns to her vehicle, her daughters have vanished. Enter Vega, the mysterious bounty hunter hired by the mother's parents to search for the girls when the local hapless local police prove inept. Vega's past is murky and Cap, a former cop who left the force under a cloud of suspicion, now earns a living as a private investigator primarily chasing unfaithful spouses. Cap is a single parent, devoted to his teen-age daughter. Initially, their partnership is grudging -- they tolerate each other solely because their singular efforts to find the missing girls are fortified by their combined resources and talent. However, their collaboration blossoms into a charming and touching relationship of trust with hints at romance.
The Janes opens with Vega visiting the County Medical Examiner's office in San Diego where Mia Paiva, the stoutly eccentric coroner wearing a Deadpool T-shirt under her lab coat, shows her the bodies of two Latina girls. One is twelve to fourteen years of age and died as a result of multiple stab wounds. The other girl appears to have been a little older and also suffered stab wounds. Both girls bear other scars and commonalities. In her rigored fingers, the second girl clutches a note bearing Vega's name. The girl was clutching it so tightly that even the killer probably didn't notice it.
Vega is hired as a consultant for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to work cooperatively and share findings with that agency and the San Diego Police Department. It is believed that the two girls were being trafficked for prostitution and used as mules. Approximately a hundred thousand dollars' worth of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana is brought into the United States from Mexico through tunnels at the border. Vega immediately calls Cap, and asks him to come to California and work the case with her. Her timing is perfect. Cap is on the verge of accepting a full-time job as an investigator with a law firm. It provides steady income, benefits, and the thought of committing to it fills Cap with dread. Fortunately, his daughter urges him to join Vega and work the California case.
Luna's approach to Vega, the complex, nuanced, fascinating, and empathetic character she has created and further develops in The Janes, provides insight. She notes that Vega can throw a punch, fights crime, knows some martial arts, and can handle firearms. But to call her a "badass" is to sell her short because in "female characters, the qualities of being a badass may have become too rote. Simply being a woman who can hold her own in a fight isn’t enough anymore to surprise us as readers, or even make us cheer along for a bit of the old cathartic feminist violence."
She posits that Vega is, rather, the kind of woman that men refer to as "difficult." Indeed, she is relentless in her quest for answers, and quite ruthlessly devoted to the case. It's personal -- after all, she was brought into the case because a beautiful young woman was concealing a scrap of paper in her hand as she was murdered. Vega has an arsenal of tools at her disposal, including a pair of bolt cutters she puts to creative and efficient use, not to mention the keen intuition that causes her to question the motives of some of the members of law enforcement who are overseeing the investigation. Vega's hunches are infallible, and she refuses to back down even when explicitly ordered to do so.
Cap is plainly enamored with Vega, as evidenced by his inner dialogue about her -- “the elusive, the conundrum, the deviously lovely . . . " Luna capitalizes on the romantic tension between her characters with a "will they or won't they?" undercurrent to their good-natured, teasing banter. Cap respects Vega's intellect and ingenuity, even though he often questions her methodology. The two have established a partnership of trust, confidence, and deep care for each other that carries them through the risky maneuvers Cap goes along with, and numerous close calls as they encounter a number of characters who will employ any means necessary to keep them from uncovering the truth.
The Janes is cleverly and thoroughly plotted, which becomes apparent as Luna details the investigative steps Vega and Cap take, painstakingly following leads and analyzing clues that lead them closer to the truth. The intricacies of the criminal enterprise Luna depicts are plausible and horrifyingly believable. Vega and Cap uncover a darkly complex operation of drug smuggling, human trafficking, sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder, at the center of which are a group of innocent teenage girls. Vega tenaciously puts her own life in danger, as well as Cap's, to ensure they don't meet the same fate as the two Janes.
The pace of The Janes never slackens and, in fact, accelerates as unexpected allies join Vega and Cap in their quest to see justice done for the Janes, the other girls, and their families. The ripped-from-the-headlines story is timely, engrossing, and made more entertaining because Vega and Cap are thoroughly likable and empathetic. Through judicious attention to plot, an eclectic cast of characters, and her characters' relationships, Luna guarantees that readers will root for the success of their mission . . . and eagerly anticipate their next adventure.
Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of the book.
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JHSiess
A ripped-from-the-headlines plot and compelling characters
Reviewed in the United States on 8 April 2020Verified Purchase
Colonel D
Not Jack Reacher, but that's not a bad thing. 4.5 Stars (couple of SPOILERS)
Reviewed in the United States on 25 February 2020Verified Purchase
Jancal
Too many characters cloud the plot
Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2020Verified Purchase
Carey Calvert
... a full on assault!
Reviewed in the United States on 24 September 2020Verified Purchase
Trishak
Great sequel to Two Girls Down! Page turner!
Reviewed in the United States on 9 September 2020Verified Purchase