Hiding in Third Person

Ricardo is an orderly at a rehabilitation center/insane asylum in Pennsylvania. He is okay at his job, does the bare minimum, and is smitten with a long-legged beauty who is his superior. He is also obsessed with a patient who is known as Mr. River. One day, Ricardo looks after Mr. River, and the patient reveals a story concerning a missing teenager who wanders around a radioactive wasteland in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The youth is troubled, socially awkward, and bullied, and his name is Malachi. Malachi lives with his loving aunt and uncle. He is tormented by ignorant youths at school. Malachi’s story is interwoven with the misadventures of two young men who are looking to defect from a gang. Their attempt at going straight is sullied when the detective who plans to help them is brutally attacked. The young men, called Doc and Chacha, are on the run, hoping to stay one step ahead of an infamous assassin nicknamed “The Finder.” The two stories intersect when Malachi finds Doc and helps him after Doc and Chacha are attacked by the assassin. Malachi is knowledgeable. Three policemen are brought in to look into the gang violence, but also find a link to the missing Malachi.

The cops are initially confused as to Malachi’s role in the gangster’s disappearance. The cops are an eclectic mix: one is a senior cop looking to ease his way out and his partner is looking to establish himself. The other cop is just looking to solve a case. Ricardo finds himself drawn in with each revelation, but is worried when Dr. Benitez (his romantic interest) hints that Malachi is soon to be transferred because he is a hopeless case. Ricardo wants to help Malachi, but is concerned that his own limited occupational station will deter, rather than aid, Malachi. What will be the outcome of Malachi’s disappearance, and will he get the help he really needs?

Hiding in Third Person is an excellent read that crafts a mystery infused with great drama. The protagonists are intriguing, the mystery that is Malachi draws you in with each chapter. Ricardo’s motives seem ambiguous at first, but one can’t help feeling sympathy for both characters as the story plows along. This new book is a mix of suspense and heart and will hopefully be the first of many engrossing books to come from this author. Definitely one not to be missed.