The three, four if you count the prequel/sequel, books in the Flint River Series build on one another. Although they can be read and enjoyed in any order, to get the most enjoyment from them, they should be read in the order they were written with A Flint River Christmas as book four in the series. Jodi Burnett is a cross genre writer, combining the best of the mystery, thriller and romance genres, but what makes the books in this series special is how each of her books focuses on a real social concern that society faces today. In book one that concern was the needs of the returning vet, showcasing how hard it is for them to reenter society and how hard it is for them to get the help they need. In book two, Hidden In The Hills, the social concern is racial injustice and hate crimes. The settings are realistic because they revolve around a life that Jodi has firsthand experienced with being from the great state of Colorado and a mountain girl at heart.
Hidden In The Hills begins with action that has the reader hooked from page one. A fumbled bombing attempt on an elementary school and an aborted bank robbery in the “Windy City,” Chicago, has a white supremacist on the run, looking for a place to lay-low until the heat dies down. The lone survivor of the botched bomber steals a car and ends up hiding out in the old abandoned sapphire mine in Flint River, Montana. Meanwhile a hitch hiker comes to Tonya’s aid when her car breaks down and she gives him a ride to Flint River. Seems like all roads lead to Flint River. Trent Stone put two and two together and comes up with five thinking that Levi Barrett, Tonya’s hitch hiking friend, is the bomber. Jack, the youngest Stone brother, comes home, after being away for many years, as an FBI agent in search of the bomber.
These books just keep getting better and better. Hidden In The Hills ends with Travis and Tonya finally married after they're on again, off again romance. Getting wounded while saving her life during the shootout with the bomber made both of them realize that they needed to be together as man and wife. Then, on their wedding night, their joy and the peace of the Stone ranch family is turned upside down when they receive a message that…. No, I’m not telling you. Go read the book. This one has a real cliffhanger ending. I’m off to read Book 3 in the Flint River Series, Danger In The Hills now because I need to know what happens next.