Noah’s Rainy Day by Sandra Brannan is the fourth book in the “Liv Bergen” mystery series. Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press, September 2013

Newly minted Special Agent Liv Bergen races against time to solve a child kidnapping–which could take a fatal turn–with the help of her gifted nephew Noah

From birth, Noah Hogarty has lived with severe cerebral palsy. He is nearly blind, unable to speak, and cannot run, walk, or crawl. Yet his mind works just as well as any other twelve-year-old’s–maybe even better. And Noah holds a secret dream: to become a great spy, following in the footsteps of his aunt, Liv ”Boots” Bergen.

Now, freshly returned from training at Quantico, FBI agent Liv Bergen is thrown into her first professional case. Working side by side with veteran agent Streeter Pierce, enigmatic agent and lover Jack Linwood, and her bloodhound Beulah, Liv must race to find five-year-old Max–last seen at the Denver International Airport–before this Christmastime abduction turns deadly. Meanwhile Noah, housebound, becomes wrapped up in identifying the young face he sees watching him from his neighbor’s bedroom window, but he can neither describe nor inscribe what he knows.

And his investigation may lead to Noah paying the ultimate price in fulfilling his dream.

Noah’s Rainy Day (the fourth novel in Brannan’s mystery series) combines classic Liv Bergen irreverence and brainpower with an unflinching look at the darkest of human motivations, all while a whirlpool of increasingly terrifying events threatens to engulf Liv and Noah both in one final rainy day.

Liv is now a full-fledge FBI agent and her first case hits a bit closer to home when a young boy is kidnapped and Liv and her bloodhound hit the trail running unbeknownst to them that another young boy holds the key to finding him.

This intensely written book had me absorbed in every action, every dialogue, and every scenery, as it was a race against time in this adrenaline-fueled mystery. The author did a good job in breaking down each scene and giving us a glimpse into what the characters were thinking all pointed towards that final showdown of evil versus good. I loved Noah’s determination to be heard and that’s what made this an exhilarating read that had me emotionally caught up in the outcome in this riveting and thrilling mystery. This is the best one yet in this series and I can’t wait to see where Sandra takes us with Liv and her friends.