Review: Suspense in the Heartland
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 31, 2014
How far would you go to save someone you love?  Felix O'Conner finds his answer to this in "21 Hours," by Dustin Stevens, when a human trafficking ring kidnaps his two-year-old niece.This story grabbed hold of me from the very first sentence and the subtle build-up of suspense and drama caused by the countdown of the hours as the book progressed kept me turning the pages.  The book could benefit from a little closer attention to editing, but overall was well-written in an easy-going style with vivid imagery and descriptions.Though written in the intimate first-person point of view, I felt it lacked the emotional punch that usually accompanies a first-person narrative as the author opted more for setting descriptions and action than the character's inner turmoil.  I also felt the writing lacked good balance.  The highs and lows were present in content, but not in the story's structure, which left the flow of action rather flat and monotonous.  A little tweaking of the action scenes would have made this a much more powerful read.All in all, I enjoyed this.  "21 Hours" is a decent story that will appeal to a wide, general audience.  Stevens is in full command of language, his characters, and their stories.