In The Crisis by T.O. Paine, Mattie is a marine biologist who lost her position after a manatee's death. While working at a convenience store, a bald man and a young girl with a number tattooed on her leg entered the shop. The girl dropped a note on the floor, prompting Mattie to follow the blue van in an attempt to rescue her from potential trafficking. Having been adopted from Cuba as a baby, the girl had the tattoo for as long as she could remember. Her father told her it might be the most significant number in existence. A militant rebel from Cuba had been searching for this girl for over a decade, needing the numbers tattooed on her leg. Will Mattie manage to rescue the girl before it is too late?

The Crisis by T.O. Paine captivated me from the first page to the last. The story was fast-paced, with the action kicking off immediately. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, and with all the unexpected twists and turns, I was constantly surprised. I found it impossible to put the book down, eagerly flipping through the pages. The characters felt genuine and relatable. After Mattie's cousin was abducted for trafficking, she could not bear the thought of another innocent girl facing a similar fate. The story was artfully constructed, and the writing style held my attention. The events were vividly described, allowing me to immerse myself in the rescue mission. There was never a dull moment with all the excitement unfolding, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story.

The latest exciting thriller from T.O. Paine, titled The Crisis, is a tense, brilliantly paced ride that follows a convenience store worker lamenting her past mistakes as she identifies as a victim of human trafficking. Unable to convince the police to take action, Mattie takes matters into her own hands and, in doing so, unwittingly binds her fate to a rebellion brewing in another country. Mattie is immediately compelling, someone with a self-imposed exile trying to pass the time on their penance for an incident that won’t stop haunting her. She is impressively brought to life by the author’s prose, existing in three glorious dimensions as readers cannot help but be absorbed by her journey.

The talent that T.O. Paine has honed in previous novels is shown in every sentence of this story, expertly keeping the tension simmering throughout each moment until it boils over into exciting and dynamic twists and turns that will keep readers guessing from start to finish. I found myself consistently hooked from one chapter to the next as I tried to put the book down after starting it, but Mattie’s incredible journey found new ways to compel me to continue reading. It’s always exciting for a reader to find an author with refreshingly original ideas for twists of fate that constantly keep the characters on their toes. The world of The Crisis fascinated me, the characters compelled me, and the narrative took me on a brilliant journey that I won’t forget in a hurry.