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Review by Arlene Germain
Hunter's Pursuit by Kim Baldwin

Kim Baldwin’s novel, Hunter’s Pursuit, Author’s Edition, is set during a raging blizzard in the northern Michigan wilderness just a few miles south of Lake Superior. Living in a secluded bunker is Kat Hunter, an introspective, solitary, and lethal woman who is contemplating retirement from her job as a paid assassin. Determined to bury the past, she has forsaken her violent world and former associates. However, her tranquil days of music and photography are interrupted when she rescues a mysterious woman from a serious car accident. Upon bringing the woman back to the bunker, Kat discovers that the woman has no recollection of who she is. To further complicate the situation, there are several nefarious and ruthless people who are doggedly pursuing Kat for the million-dollar dead-or-alive bounty which has been offered by the one individual who knows Kat all too well. As the storm rages outside her hideaway, Kat will be tested as never before, and along the way, she will awaken feelings she thought were long dead.

Baldwin has created a gripping, fast-paced, and suspenseful wilderness adventure that reads easily and enjoyably. The two main characters, Kat and the injured amnesiac, Jake, are intelligent and appealing. The deft characterization displays the multi-faceted personality of the charismatic protagonist, Kat. As the reader begins to peel away each layer and proceeds to uncover the events that have molded Kat into the woman she has become, the reader is subtly made aware that nothing should be taken at face value. Jake is a character that immediately evokes one’s concern and sympathy, yet Baldwin always manages to keep the presence of mystery and inscrutability in the forefront. Is Jake who she appears to be? Could she be a ruse perpetrated by Kat’s enemies? Does she know Kat’s Achilles’ heel? Baldwin has indeed created memorably inventive and compelling characters. In the hands of an author with a less stylized technique, Kat could have come across as an extremely unsympathetic character who had committed despicable acts. However, through the use of fluid substantive dialogue and an impressive narrative depicting the inner conflicts of this main character, Baldwin has succeeded in creating a very realistic portrayal of a woman who displays, despite all odds, an intrinsic decency and compassion. It is for those very reasons that the reader genuinely cares for and about her.

This novel has some of the best action sequences this reader has experienced. They are animated, vigorous, and exciting. The reader can virtually experience the sensory world of the somber winter and its uninhabited forest. Baldwin’s fast-paced sentence structure effortlessly sweeps the reader along at practically breakneck speed. The chapter endings make wonderful use of the familiar cliffhanger technique. Baldwin’s chapter conclusions are extremely precise and definitely suspenseful. The juxtaposition of various plotlines, the evolving focal points of reader interest, and the realistic dialogue hurtle the reader forward at an ever increasing rate. Hunter’s Pursuit is most definitely a page turner.

Kim Baldwin’s novel, Hunter’s Pursuit, Author’s Edition, takes the reader on a dangerous, heart-pounding rollercoaster ride brimming with intrigue, betrayal, deliverance, passion, and ultimately, self-less love. From the stark setting to the character of the anti-heroine to the possibilities of redemption, Baldwin has managed to write a novel which is memorable not only for its energetic detail but also for its appealing and perceptive portrayal of a woman conditioned, but not held captive, by her past.

ARLENE GERMAIN is currently a book reviewer for the OutLook Press, Lambda Book Report, the Midwest Book Review, the Independent Gay Writer, the Golden Crown Literary Society newsletter, The Crown, and the JustAboutWrite.com Newsletter/e-zine. She is also a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. A former English teacher who resides in Massachusetts with her partner and two dogs, Arlene enjoys travel, music, film and theater, writing poetry, golf, and the beach. Feel free to drop her an email.

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