Though she’s glad not to be a member of FST-1, the group that tests things in the Arctic, Samantha often wonders if the desert of Dry Springs, Texas is that much better.  Currently, the team is evaluating an Ergonomic Exoskeletal Extension (dubbed EEEK by the acronym-loving group), a computerized contraption that allows its wearer almost superhuman strength, vision and speed, and has the capacity of recording the data encountered while in use. 

One of the required tests is a twenty mile, fully-loaded run, which Samantha (who is not very good at delegating), finds herself conducting.  She decides to do this during the middle of the night as the conditions will be slightly more comfortable; she will also get a chance to check out EEEK’s night vision this way, which turns out to be not as fine-tuned as Samantha would have liked when she finds herself ankle deep in the decomposing remains of two men. 

The local sheriff arrives, as do the Border Patrol and the FBI when it is learned that one of the dead men is Patrick Hooker, a notorious arms smuggler who was once a member of the US military. After running into the dead men, literally, Samantha feels partly responsible to learn what happened to them. Since EEEK may be able to supply some pictures and data about the area around the bodies, and since the lead agent from the Border Patrol, call me Mitch, is quite hunky, she finds herself drawn into a murder investigation, one that not only involves illegal arms sales, but also has agencies fighting among themselves, leaving Samantha, who has trouble with chain of command, in a place where she’s not sure what to do.  When her team’s lab is fire-bombed, she decides it is definitely personal and continues her investigation, making amends to whomever she needs as she steps on all sorts of bureaucratic toes.  

Samantha is a chatty, entertaining heroine who is a lot smarter and harder working than she gives herself credit for. She is very protective of her team and though she doesn’t especially care for all the red-tape she must go through for certain things, she does a fast, efficient, thorough job when necessary, leaving little room for her superiors to deny her requests. 

Samantha follows the trail logically, and feels pretty safe she can trust Mitch with information about the case, though she’s not sure if she can trust him with her heart as he reminds her of her ex-husband and she knows Mitch comes with a lot of baggage.  The plot has several interesting twists that are untangled using neat gadgets, but is not so technical as to muddy the plot. 

Samantha and her team complement each other well and provide interesting, various points of view into the investigation.  Samantha knows she has a lot to learn about being an officer in the USAF, but plunges into everything she does with her whole self, which goes a long way with her superiors when she doesn’t quite follow the code.  All the Wrong Moves is good beginning to a series with a likable heroine who has great potential.                                                              

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry