I love a good suspenseful book with twists, turns, and surprise conclusions. Sanna Hines delivers all these in Stealth Moves. The title alone would draw any mystery lover to read this psychologically chilling tale. Hines has created a fascinating array of characters from Holly Glasscock, hired as a bodyguard to teenager Liv Smallwood, to Brandon/Stealth, the surviving twin of a housebound mother, who has taken on the dual identities of both brothers.
Beginning with Liv’s school mate Kyle Blake’s disappearance, the reader is instantly drawn into the conflicted life of the teenager. Living with her grandmother in the wealthy Beacon Hill section of Boston, Liv is teamed with a popular schoolmate Ariel Kelly when the Sidley school headmaster decides to insist students travel in pairs to avoid further kidnappings. This sets the stage for Liv’s involvement in the search for and rescue of the missing students.
There are a lot of characters in this book, most of them well developed. Others seem like walk on players whose minor roles fill in the blanks before fading into the background. Most of the dialogue rings authentic; however I was a little uncomfortable with the way the teens spoke. As someone who has a significant interaction with teenagers I found this to be the weak point of the book. Much of the teen slang is somewhat dated making it less believable. That being said, a reader who isn’t familiar with the changes in the way teens speak to one another shouldn’t be bothered by it.
Boston, and specifically Beacon Hill, makes a great location for the story. Rich kids who are often from international families, private schools, and old houses with unique architectures are well described making it easy for the reader to visualize settings.
The tension builds at a steady pace and when the facts are revealed everything fits neatly into place. That’s not an easy feat with a plot as complex as this book has. Hines has a unique ability to pull all the threads together leaving the reader satisfied. Nothing is left hanging with an annoying question mark. She deserves high praise for that.
Written in simple and easy to understand language with no sexual references and only mild violence this could qualify as a young adult book. It is also an enjoyable and easy read for adults. There are a few typos and misspellings but they in no way detract from the book. Other than my personal discomfort with the “teen speak”, I find this to be a great book and a fun read and I am pleased to award it a Gold Bookworm.
This review is also available at Readers Review Room
More About Sanna Hines
Sanna Hines is fascinated with the question, “What IF?” What if I were in danger? Would I face it with bravery and resourcefulness–or give in to fear? What if I could live forever, but my loved ones could not? What if I had wings? Or lived in a town where creatures outnumbered humans? What lies waiting to be discovered behind the veil of ordinary existence?
Journalism, art history and business studies led Sanna to a career in marketing communications. In 2004, she turned to fiction. Her first two books were published in 2015. But, as Amazon pages say, there’s “more on the way.”
Between the Beats 
Your support for authors is amazing, Elizabeth.
Thank you so much. I think it’s important to share good books and especially those by indie writers.