NEVER TRUST HOME

In this novel, an ex-convict gets pulled into a human trafficking investigation that forces him to confront his past and test the limits of his hard-won stability.

Focusing on ex-convict Charles Langley, this tale portrays a 25-year-old man haunted by his checkered past despite his fight to stay on the straight and narrow. He spends his days performing menial labor at a factory and researching intelligence communities and listening to spycraft podcasts in his one-bedroom apartment. He is also dealing with a complicated relationship with a childhood friend named Abigail Smith. After his estranged father ends up in a hospital after a heart attack, Charles is pushed in a new direction by a chance encounter in the emergency room with Walter Faucet, who works at the Red Sea Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting human trafficking. Although Charles doesn’t meet the age requirement, he impresses Walter by skillfully dealing with an incident involving a dangerous prisoner at the hospital (“Charles handled pressure better than Walter had ever seen anyone do before”). Thus, Charles joins an active investigation that exposes the brutality of trafficking and the fragility of the hero’s own recovery. But Charles is ready for a change. At one point, he asserts: “I’m making an impact in the world around me by changing children’s lives for the better.” In this tense series opener, Mister C. offers a compelling premise: A former prisoner wracked by guilt and full of unused potential finds a chance at redemption when he joins a cause bigger than himself. Unfortunately, the prose is clunky, often outright stating what could have been shown through subtler storytelling. In addition, the pacing is sometimes disrupted by meandering introspections that drain the urgency from key moments. Dialogue, too, often feels forced, with characters speaking in ways that sound more like exposition than natural conversation. Despite these shortcomings, the book’s intentions are commendable, shining a light on the harsh realities of human trafficking and the moral ambiguities of those who fight against it. Olivia, a young girl trapped in horrific circumstances, carries the story as her resilience serves as the novel’s emotional center. There are also wonderful moments where readers see glimpses of genuine feelings—quiet reflections that hint at redemption.

A gripping but uneven thriller that exposes the grim world of human trafficking.