Excellent blend of suspense and a second chance romance. Max is the explosives expert on the Tactical Crime Division team. When he hears about the bombs in Grand Rapids, he suggests to his boss that the team get involved. Max has an ulterior motive in that his ex-wife and infant son live in that city. They may be divorced, but Max still loves Allie and wants to protect her. Allie divorced Max a few months earlier because she couldn't handle how work always came before the family with Max. She moved to Grand Rapids to put some space between them and try to move forward with her life.

I liked the rekindling of the relationship between Max and Allie. It is evident from the start that they still love each other. Max is super-protective thanks to the things he has seen, and even though divorced, he calls Allie to warn her of the bombings. Allie tends to be a bit more relaxed and trusting, which was one of their marriage issues. Be that as it may, they still have an amicable relationship. Allie welcomes Max to her home when he arrives in town. I loved Max's sweet scenes with his son and the evidence of how much love he has to share. The time he spent away from Allie made him realize how many things he did wrong during their marriage. He yearns for a way to fix it but doesn't know if he can.

Spending time with Max reinforces that Allie still loves him and reminds her of why they parted. She had a hard time with the way he put other peoples' families ahead of theirs. But when Allie gets an up-close and personal view of what Max does, she begins to understand him and what drives him. The ending had me on the edge of my seat as Max was in the fight of his life to save Allie. Both of them realized life was too short to throw away what they had together. I loved the epilogue and the changes it showed in their relationship.

The suspense of the story was fantastic and kept me turning the pages far into the night. The team's pursuit of the serial bomber was well portrayed in its successes and frustrations. An early look into the mind of the serial bomber showed his determination. The intensity ramped up as Max and the others closed in on the bomber. The apartment scene had me glued to the pages as I felt like I was right there with Max. When the final confrontation came, the bomber's methods and intentions were terrifying. Max's coolness under pressure was terrific, and I loved how Allie kept her head and found a way to help. ( )