ONE SMALL VICTORY – Maryann Miller
Five Star
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-699-2
June 2008
Romantic Suspense

Texas – Present Day

Michael -- I didn't think Brad would really drive that fast, especially while smoking a joint. I might have smoked one once upon a time, but Brad is really making me scared. Now, how do I get him to slow down and let me out of his car without appearing like a sissy? Now we've hit something and we're airborne and blackness comes upon me...

The Accident -- Marijuana, speed, and teenagers make for an accident waiting to happen. The passenger is dead, and the driver is in the hospital. Marijuana was found in the driver's bloodstream, and police dread going to accidents like this. They feel impotent at being unable to stop something that could have easily been prevented.

Jenny -- Life as I know it ended with the death of my eighteen-year-old son, Michael. How did this happen? What happened? What is a funeral home doing calling me? Why is my son in a coffin, and how do I tell my other son, Scott, and daughter, Alicia, and how can I learn to cope, when I can barely function in a normal way? But, after the shock is safely behind me, and the ex-husband has left, I pick up my son Scott at school and see older men outside of school, handing things to students. Scott can't figure out how I can be so naive -- they're selling drugs and nobody messes with them. Well, the only thing I can think to do is go to the police and offer to do something to end the drug trade, go undercover...whatever.

The Sting -- Before Jenny can go undercover, she has to prove herself physically fit and ready for a life unknown to many. She must go out at night, talk to dealers, and place herself in danger. Is she up to it, and is her pain and bravery up to the task? She can't tell anyone; discovery would ruin the work that's been done. Steve is in charge of the drug task force, which involves Jenny acting like a dope user and dealer, walking the streets at night, and associating with the dregs of the drug industry. Can they reach "Mr. Big", purported to be a Cuban in charge of drugs in the area?

Doing Work -- Jenny hits the streets, and her family, jobs, friends and home life all go to hell. She's never at home, her friends have washed their hands of her, the employees at her flower shop must do all her work, and at a hard time in her children's lives, their mother is missing in action, and resentment and abandonment is felt by her son. Jenny's ex-husband never paid much attention to their children, but to Scott, he is starting to look like a safe haven after living with his mother.

Maryanna Miller gets loads of credit for the passion, intensity, and realistic, fast paced writing in ONE SMALL VICTORY. I felt like I either was Jenny or right beside her at all times. It seems as if every few pages I would have to put the book down and let my heartbeat get back to normal before trying to read a little more. As Jenny gets in the drug business, her remaining two children are left at home night after night, and her elder son becomes resentful and wonders why mom dresses like a hooker all the time. She's never at home for dinner, leaves him with his younger sister all the time, and is never there for him. Since his brother died, his whole family life is going down the drain.

Secondary characters are Chief Gonzales of the police department, in charge of the sting. Steve is the police officer in charge of Jenny and the operation, and feelings of attraction break through the seriousness. Scott is confused, scared, and so angry at his mom for ignoring him and his sister that you can feel the waves of anger coming off him. And various drug dealers and bosses provide extra creepiness as if we didn't have enough.

ONE SMALL VICTORY is not for the faint of heart, but it is an excellent, well-crafted and written novel. The tension is all pervasive, and heat, rage, sorrow, despair, and all-enveloping terror fill every page. Could you go undercover to bust a drug dealer? After reading ONE SMALL VICTORY, I say no, I'm too scared.

Carolyn Crisher