Review of IN ENEMY HANDS

IN ENEMY HANDS
K. S. Augustin
Carina Press, June 7, 2010

Dr. Moon Thadin has been through a lot since her former research partner, Kad Minslok, escaped from the Republic and is,now, hunted as a rebel and a terrorist.  Now under suspicion, Moon must watch her every move, and all her illusions about the Republic have been shattered, especially after meeting Sirin, her new research partner.  To keep Sirin, who is a math genius, under control, the republic has erased his short term memory every two days for almost twenty years.

IN ENEMY HANDS is a hybrid of science fiction and romance with well-written, borderline erotic scenes.  Ms. Augustin does a great job of straddling the fence between pure science fiction and romance, without allowing either genre aspect to suffer.  It is evident, that IN ENEMY HANDS is well researched, the science is believable, and the world and characters are complex and multi-faceted.  Moon and Sirin are caught up in an almost impossible situation, but somehow find each other, even through all the turmoil and Sirin's memory loss.  The Republic's despicable policies are highlighted by their treatment of Moon, Sirin, and, even, the Captain of their ship.  I found myself rooting for them from almost the beginning, and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat hoping for them to triumph and be together.  The only problem, that I have is that the ending came a little too abruptly for my tastes-- I wanted more story.  Hopefully, there will be a sequel and maybe a book that tells the Captain's story.

With great world-building and complex characters, IN ENEMY HANDS does a great job in dual roles, as a science fiction and romance read.  I highly recommend it.

Note:  I received this book in return for an impartial review.