After finishing this book, I had barely even closed the back cover before I was sending someone a message making certain that they moved this book right to the top of their TBR list immediately! ... Do not let the use of the word 'heart' in the title fool you. This is not a story of romance! It is an absolutely incredible thriller that is full of tension and excitement, but also loss and grief so powerful that at times it is physically painful ... Redondo’s writing is heartbreaking as she recounts the lives of the many people who remained in New Orleans, believing that this storm would be no different than all the others they had lived through. As a reader living in a world that is sixteen years past these events, you know their faith is misplaced and they will be proven tragically wrong as they desperately seek food, water, shelter, and safety in the coming days. And you know their search will be to no avail. Having lived on the Gulf Coast through Katrina, I was brought to tears more than once while I was reading as I thought about what I already knew these characters were about to face, and what would become of their city ... Redondo’s writing is action packed, but still deeply emotional as this thriller keeps the pace at full speed, practically from cover to cover. It’s a longer book, at approximately 470 pages, but it is a powerful story that absolutely flies by!
Its far-ranging scenes are stuffed with memorable characters, from heroic public servants to habitual murderers to a zombie-like figure worthy of a Val Lewton horror movie. Ms. Redondo’s complex and ambitious book culminates in a mythological showdown, with Salazar in the eye of an epic storm.
The mysteries are dark and twisty, and the moments of danger are plentiful. Amaia’s experience with trauma gives her insight into people’s thinking; she uses this knowledge to hunt down new demons. Fans of noir fiction will devour this book.
... gripping ... Amaia’s distinctive backstory, which includes a traumatic childhood, adoption at age 12 by an elderly American couple, and an outstanding school career in the U.S. before returning to Spain to join the police, lends weight to the dramatic action. This crime thriller is a good starting place for readers new to Redondo.
