Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Following a horrific car accident in which Cassidy “died”, she is hidden away in a safe house in Paris, not the worst place to be isolated when it comes to the wonderful bakeries, romantic settings, and lifestyle. But now, as a “guardian”, Cassidy’s activities are limited to finding circuitous ways to purchase food between monitoring surveillance cameras to keep others safe. On a short outdoor trip, Cassidy is recognized. Her cover is blown. She is once again on the run and now, making things worse, her wealthy media mogul father is offering a $1,000,000 reward to locate the daughter that he believed dead. What an exciting plot…and that’s only part of what keeps readers riveted. There are so many complications, unanswered questions, and persons of ill-intent in Not Dead Yet by Traci Hunter Abramson that it takes until the high-tension ending for Cassidy, her family, Donovan (her new love interest and fellow guardian), and readers to breathe easily again.

After two years of Covid, few of us are unfamiliar with the misery of being in isolation. On top of that, there are more than just a couple of movies with a plot centered on how things can go wrong for those in witness protection programs. Maybe then, an ideal way to protect those who have to stay hidden is to declare them dead. Or perhaps not, as Cassidy Edgemont, an intelligence operative discovers in this fast-paced novel by Traci Hunter Abramson. I thoroughly enjoyed Not Dead Yet and several times found myself visualizing the events, people, and settings in a movie. It would make a good one. Adding to its appeal is the nicely developed romantic angle. That was handled more realistically than in so many action novels. The dialogue was plentiful, perfectly paced when Donovan and Cassidy were sharing food while getting to know each other, then sped up dramatically when all hell was breaking loose. Excellent writing and highly recommended reading.