Echo Valley: a power hungry politician, his burning secret, and the unyielding young mother caught in the middle by Jennifer Vaughn is a thriller that is aptly described in the subtitle, the story of how far a politician would go to keep a dirty little secret. Bo Carmichael is working at a hairdressing salon, the job that allows her to take care of her son and pay her bills, when she is asked to prepare the family of a leading presidential candidate for a photo shoot. She witnesses a scandalous encounter between the seemingly happily-married senator and his female staffer, an incident that will transform her life into a nightmare. The senator is determined to keep her silent, and a case is fabricated against her. It will take the intelligence of Detective Beckett Brady to discover that something is seriously wrong, so he hires Beck to uncover the truth. But will Beck have enough time to unravel the truth before the dangerous forces close in on Bo?

Told in a warm and exciting voice, Echo Valley is an absorbing thriller with the kind spell that fans won’t escape. The first person narrative voice is compelling and it pulls the reader in from the very first page. I enjoyed the fact that Jennifer Vaughn created the protagonist to be in a vulnerable position, a simple hairdresser poised against a ruthless senator. I loved the way the connection between Bo and Beck came through just so naturally. The story features beautiful descriptions and the emotions of readers will become involved through every scene. The great dialogue, the crisp and tight prose, and the insightful writing are some of the elements that establish the author as a great storyteller.

I love stories that feature powerful characters, and I mean characters that occupy key positions in society or politics, and when such a character is a leading presidential candidate, I become keen to see how the character is developed. Jennifer Vaughn does a wonderful job in crafting such a character in Echo Valley: a power hungry politician, his burning secret, and the unyielding young mother caught in the middle. Bo Carmichael is a young woman with a son who is the center of her life. All she cares about is to work hard — in the hairdressing salon — and be able to provide for her son. But circumstances lead her into a nasty secret involving the senator who could become the next president of the United States. The senator knows that she knows this little secret between him and his female staffer, and that is too dangerous for his career. So, she must be silenced.

The plot is ingenious, featuring a helpless young woman fighting for her life against a powerful politician. Thanks to the wisdom and insightful judgment of Detective Beckett Brady, she can hope for some form of justice. With a nasty case being built against her and the bad and powerful guys closing in, can Beck be fast in helping her get justice in time to avoid a deadly outcome? Echo Valley is a page-turner, a story that is as exciting as it is absorbing. Readers get to love the protagonist from the very first page. Jennifer Vaughn is a good storyteller and she seems to have a unique and particular mastery of the first person narrative, a voice that is very irresistible to readers. The characters are very compelling and it is interesting to see how they evolve throughout the story. The story reads naturally and readers will enjoy how the themes of love, scandal, and responsibility are so beautifully woven into it.