Frank Holdaway

Title: Undercover Target
Author: Frank Holdaway
Pages: 258
Year: 2016
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
My rating is 5 stars.
Matt Knight is a retired antiterrorist special agent. Not many know of his past and he likes it that way. He now lives with his wife as well as their two children whom they adopted from China. They live close to Zack’s former boss and current bishop in the Mormon faith, Zack. One of the events at church is an annual camping outing of Matt’s Sunday School class of teenage boys. Matt is dreading the trip as is his son, Peng. Matt’s relationship with Peng is strained. Peng escapes the house at night to go running. He likes all things mechanical and is an expert at picking locks. He is not so good with social skills and doesn’t talk much. He has kept himself distant from his adoptive family as he plans to leave them soon, right after this camping trip. Matt has no experience at being a father and had no example of one growing up.
The camping trip starts off okay, but soon takes a decidedly turn for the worse. Matt’s past catches up with him and will affect not only his camping companions, but his wife and daughter as well. He also discovers something about his fellow camping leader, Ron Kelton. With danger lurking just about everywhere in the mountains, the lives of these campers will be changed forever. Peng has avoided responsibility/leadership in the past, but with events taking the turn that they do he finds himself in charge.
Oh, is this a great book! There is lots of great suspense, action and humor. I loved Matt’s sense of humor!! Permelia is hilarious and she has got to be in any future novels in my opinion. I laughed out loud at some of her antics or words. What a character! There might be a bit of Mormon terminology that might not be familiar to readers if they are like me and not Mormon, but it didn’t hinder the plot at all or my understanding of what was happening. The change in relationships between Peng and Matt as well as between Peng and the other boys was so good to read. I thought the character of Hope was inspiring and compassionate. I hope the author plans more books with this character because I will be sure to read them.
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