Parallel Peril is the second book by Maria Lynn Barrs in the adventures of TV journalist Vicky Robeson as she hunts for her long-lost sister. Julie had disappeared after a California wildfire claimed the lives of their parents when she was just six years old, and her sister was three. Vicky has never given up hope of tracking down her sister after they were separated at the rescue center. She has taken a couple of weeks away from her job as a news producer for a Dallas television station. When her former lover, Pete, calls her and suggests that they should meet up, she is excited, nervous, and thrilled about seeing him again. When Vicky discovers clues that lead to a long-forgotten commune deep in the Californian foothills, the pair find themselves on an adventure that will expose them to a dangerous cult.

Parallel Peril is a fast-paced, exciting thriller expertly interwoven with a rekindled romance. This combination of extreme danger and sweet love makes it a compelling read. This book is a standalone as the author drops enough gems of information into the narrative to ensure readers understand the characters’ histories and motivations. I particularly enjoyed Vicky's robust, no-nonsense nature. Her self-recrimination for what she believes was her failure to protect her younger sister gives her character real depth and also helps to explain her closed-off nature when it came to dealing with Pete in the past. The action is fast and furious, and lovers of adrenaline-pumping thrillers will be right at home with this novel. What makes it stand out, though, is the romance that begins to rekindle between the frantic action. I was truly impressed by both Vicky's and Pete’s survival instincts and capabilities when put to the ultimate test. This is a wonderfully exciting thriller with hidden depths of softness and joy. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.

Parallel Peril by Maria Lynn Barrs is the second in the series featuring Vicky Robeson, but it can be read as a standalone. Vicky’s parents died in a California fire, and her sister disappeared, possibly kidnapped. She has never stopped looking for her sister and takes time off work to follow clues in her search. She meets up with Pete, a long-time close friend, and together they meet several members of a small town community who are eager to help solve the mystery. From her work in the television news world, Vicky’s attention to detail and instincts for a story lead her to a private world deep in a national forest. It is a throwback in time, a community that was once thriving until ruled by a vicious megalomaniac who treats women as slaves and sells the babies he has fathered for cash. Vicky and Peter discover the colony, but there is more danger than they could ever have imagined, which puts many lives at risk.

I did not read the first in Maria Lynn Barrs' series, but if it is as entertaining as Parallel Peril, then I suspect it is also well worth delving into. An easy-to-read novel, the words flow, and the characters are consistent and relatable, especially Chrissy, the sassy and lovable teenager. The author gives us a peek into the rural communities in the foothills of California, with descriptions of the area, but not so many that they distract you from the story. All the events hang together, the pace is just right, and once started, it is difficult to put this book down. Well written and a pleasure to read. I would recommend this book to readers who like crime thrillers without the car chases and a well-constructed, believable story. I think you will love this book too.

Parallel Peril by Maria Lynn Barrs is the second book in the Vicky Robeson mystery series. A TV journalist, Vicky has spent most of her working life chasing down stories and trying to find her long-lost sister. Together with Pete, a former love interest, she hunts the clues, following the trail from her sister’s disappearance to a remote Californian colony. What should have been a peaceful commune has changed into a vicious cult ruled by one man, a cult where women are trapped and used. When Vicky and Pete stumble on it, they find themselves in a fight for their lives, trapped with no way out. Can they escape the clutches of an evil patriarch and help the women escape? Is one of them Vicky’s sister?

Parallel Peril by Maria Lynn Barrs is a real page-turner, an edge-of-your-seat thriller that you won’t want to put down. I read this as a standalone, but it’s best to read the series from the beginning to get a true feel for the characters and what makes them tick. That said, I found the main characters easy to get to know and likable, and the supporting characters were equally well-developed. Each one’s story adds another layer to a complex, tense plot. The action starts early, and the suspense builds gradually throughout, a terrifying mystery that will both thrill and shock you in equal parts. The romance helps soften the edges a little and, although you might guess the ending, it comes about in ways you won’t expect—a bit like a modern-day Columbo (1970s-1990s American police drama, for those that don’t know.) Highly recommended reading for anyone who loves a good thriller that keeps you reading all the way through.

In Maria Lynn Barrs’ Parallel Peril, television news director Vicky Robeson returns to the California mountains after a hereditary illness renews her search for Julie, the younger sister who vanished during a catastrophic wildfire thirty years earlier. While examining forgotten journals inside a small town newspaper office, Vicky discovers a strange carved symbol linked to evacuation records from the night her parents died. The search draws her toward New Yoruba Colony, an isolated settlement hidden deep within the forest where Richard Hart rules over women living under his authority, while babies disappear from the mountain without explanation. Former resident Jake Broad recognizes the same symbol from his childhood inside the commune and realizes Vicky’s investigation is moving toward secrets connected to buried crimes, vanished children, and a violent system that survived for decades beyond public view.

Maria Lynn Barrs’ Parallel Peril is pure suspense, driving readers into the realm of a cult leader. Vicky Robeson is wonderful, and there was a fist-pump moment for me when she refuses to abandon captives and makes a massive, horrifying discovery about children in the colony. The New Yoruba Colony leader Richard Hart is a convincing antagonist and is drawn with a frightening realism. Where the author shines brightest is in her descriptions of textured, atmospheric spaces, from the Black Mountain roads and soaked pine forest leading to an ominous, chained steel gate, to the childbirth cabin with its candle smoke drifting across stained blankets, and shattered glass surrounding outdated medical instruments. Fans of investigative thrillers involving missing persons cases, as well as deep dives into cult-fueled fiction, will adore this book. Very highly recommended.