Series:
Linear Tactical: Oak Creek (Book 6)
He's spent his whole life knowing everything.
Every variable. Every angle. Every threat he could
calculate faster than most people could blink. Lincoln Bollinger built two
fortunes before thirty, mastered the dark web, and designed systems that made
governments nervous.
But the one thing he couldn't solve?
People.
Emotions.
Her.
Mercury—the brilliant stranger he's traded secret coded
messages with for two years—vanished months ago. The quiet mind hidden inside
poetry and algorithms was suddenly gone… until she sent him a desperate SOS
encoded inside Emily Dickinson. A message only he could read.
Rescuing her is easy.
Surviving what comes next won't be.
The trafficking ring wants her silenced. Corrupt
officials want her erased. And the only person she trusts is a man who barely
knows how to hold a conversation without someone telling him to use his "inside
voice."
But with Mercury beside him—quoting poetry when she's
scared, reorganizing his library when she's overwhelmed, matching his
brilliance with her own—Lincoln finds himself facing something he's never been
able to compute.
A woman who sees him.
A woman he'll burn the world to protect.
And the enemy closing in fast.
I have been looking forward to Lincoln's story since the LT:
Oak Creek series began. The way his mind works intrigues me, and has from his first
appearance as a kid in the LT epilogues. I loved how his family and friends
accept him exactly as he is, while finding ways to help him navigate social
situations. Their guidance comes from love and respect, accompanied by a fair
amount of good-natured teasing. The story of the birthday party made me laugh
out loud.
For two years, Lincoln, AKA Binary, has had an online friendship
with a woman he knows only as Mercury. I loved how each chapter began with one
of their online exchanges, illustrating how they understand each other. They
"meet" every night at 9 pm. Then, one night, Mercury is gone - no
goodbye, no explanation. Lincoln's confusion and dismay are evident as he
worries that she has ghosted him.
Mercury, AKA Morgan, is a librarian with an eidetic memory.
She never forgets anything she has seen, heard, or read. She, too, has had her
social challenges and is more comfortable behind a screen than dealing with
people. She considers setting up an in-person meeting with Binary, but is
kidnapped before she can follow through.
The suspense of this book drew me in from the start. I
could feel Morgan's terror from the moment she awoke and learned what her
captor's demands were. Her desperate attempt to contact Binary left her with the
faintest stirring hope of rescue. I loved seeing how Lincoln transformed from
the behind-the-scenes geek to the tactical operator with the training he's
never had to call on before. The intensity of the rescue scene nearly broke my
heart when Lincoln found Morgan. The tension continued as Lincoln and Morgan
worked to uncover the motive for her kidnapping, with a final confrontation
that blew me away.
I loved watching the relationship between Lincoln and
Morgan develop. They already know each other well through two years of daily
online conversations. They understand each other's challenges and have built an
enduring trust. Their first in-person meeting, when Lincoln rescues her, was
awkward, sweet, and incredibly emotional. Lincoln was so worried about her and
so cautious in caring for her, afraid of doing something wrong. When he's with
Morgan, he feels that he can be himself without worrying about censoring
himself. For Morgan, Lincoln is the only man she trusts. Neither expected the
chemistry that drew them even closer. I loved how they were perfect for each
other.
I loved the involvement of the other residents of Oak
Creek. Their support was immediate and unquestioning when Lincoln needed them,
and not just for the rescue. It was terrific to see how they accepted Morgan as
she was because she was important to Lincoln. The scenes at the Eagles Nest
were great, and I especially enjoyed the epilogue.
