No Safe Ground
Reynolds “Pack” Packard is an independent limo driver living alone in the backwoods of upstate New York. He lives simply in a run-down house, enjoying the occasional joint and the company of his only friend, a former state trooper, Millie. Suddenly, a young woman barges into his home. She is Vida, the daughter he abandoned 15 years ago, who is now a 25-year-old Iraq War veteran with PTSD. She is also AWOL and sure that an American soldier who killed her best friend in Iraq now wants to kill her. Pack is skeptical, prompting Vida to run off while he is sleeping. Vida’s appearance triggers a series of events that will pit her, Pack, and Millie against a crazed killer who is perfectly willing to eliminate anyone who gets in his way. This fast-moving thriller boasts a cast of agreeably quirky characters. --Barbara Bibel