Book Review: In Safe Hands (Search & Rescue) by Katie Ruggle

In Safe Hands is the fourth book in the Search & Rescue series by Katie Ruggle. The romance part of this story can stand well on its own, however to fully understand the larger story arc that rateches up the danger level this series does need to be read in order. The reading order is Hold Your Breath, Fan the Flames, and Gone Too Deep then In Safe Hands. I enjoyed all of them, so it is not a bad thing to binge read the series, right? There is also a prequel, On His Watch, a novella which I have not yet read.

Daisy Little has lived in agoraphobic terror for over eight years. Trapped within a prison of her own making, she watches time pass through her bedroom window. Daisy knows she'll never be a part of the world, until the day she becomes the sole witness of a terrible crime that may finally tear the Search and Rescue brotherhood apart for good. Chris, police deputy and friend, believes in her- but Daisy is starting to lose faith in herself. Picking up where Gone Too Deep ends, here we finally get all our answers.

In Safe Hands is a fast paced book that dropped so many answers to the questions fans of this series have had since the beginning. Daisy and Chris, and their ‘friendship’ are some serious icing on the cake. Daisy is agoraphobic after witnessing her mother’s death. Chris has been there supporting and teaching Daisy self defense all along. When Daisy sees something weird out her window she starts the ball rolling towards an action packed conclusion. All the couples we have met so far have their roles to play, and so do the shadowing figures we have had our suspicions about as we have made our way through this series. I think my favorite thing about Ruggle’s writing of Daisy (and most of the characters of this series) is the realistic and honest portrayal of her characters. No character is all good or bad, or main players have their faults, and the ones causing all the problems might be killers or arsonists, but they are not wholly evil. Mental illness, phobias, and traumas are things the characters have to deal with, but not what defines them. This is a rare and wonderful thing to find, and would make the books good reads even if the story, adventure, romance, and suspense were not all awesome as well. 

In Safe Hands is another quality book from Ruggle. I was glad to see how everything came to gather, but I will be sad to let go of these characters. Thankfully, a little bird tells me that a new series will start this summer, with Run to Ground.