Operation Trafficked by Helen C. Escott

Sgt. Nicholas Myra and Cpl. Gail McNaughton have teamed up in Helen C. Escott’s fourth crime thriller, Operation Trafficked. After the murder of a young sixteen-year-old girl in a downtown hotel, a special joint forces operation headed up by Myra and McNaughton seeks to investigate a sophisticated ring of international criminals specializing in human trafficking and the sale of women and children for sex. As they attempt to piece together the events that led to the gruesome and untimely death of the young polish girl, they discover that what was once considered the oldest profession in the world is very much alive and well in the city of St. John’s, Newfoundland and its surrounding areas. Suddenly a new realization emerges; these girls aren’t just sex workers; they are sex slaves, often held against their will for the pleasure of powerful men who occupy the upper echelons of society.

“Dedicated to the thousands of women and children who are trafficked every day, Helen C. Escott crafts a story that is both shocking and gut-wrenching.”

Dedicated to the thousands of women and children who are trafficked every day, Helen C. Escott crafts a story that is both shocking and gut-wrenching. Told in the third person point of view, the author does a superb job at providing insight into the backstory of each woman, drawing readers into the plight of each of the female characters and elevating them to real people deserving of our empathy and support. Whether it’s the young mother, herself abused as a child, and now sending naked photos of her 7-year-old daughter to her unknown boyfriend in a foreign country or a young Russian teen who has just discovered she has become pregnant by one of her johns, readers will be sickened but also saddened that such a market exists in our very own neighbourhoods.

Though the subject matter is heavy, there is relief! Throughout the narrative, Escott also weaves the continuing story of Sgt. Nicholas Myra, first introduced to readers in her first crime thriller Operation Wormwood and that of Cpl. Gail McNaughton, whose investigative skills are revealed in Operation Vanished. The duo and their team of crackerjack investigators are undaunted in their efforts to seek justice and in turn, are able to provide closure to the families whose loved ones have gone missing. Readers will have a hard time putting this book down.

Operation Trafficked by Helen C. Escott shines a very bright light on the heinous crimes that exist when a marginalized group is exploited for pleasure and gain. Kudos to this award-winning author for giving a voice to the voiceless!

Helen C. Escott is an award-winning, bestselling Canadian author. Her crime thriller Operation Vanished was awarded a Silver Medal for Best Regional Fiction at the 24th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. Operation Vanished is a mind-bending, sophisticated psychological crime thriller that will keep you guessing who the real killer is. In 2019 she was presented with the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flanker Press Ltd. (Aug. 18 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1774570521
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1774570524

Stephanie Collins

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Stephanie Collins is a retired school administrator and teacher from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. A lover of literature and an avid reader, Stephanie loves travelling, outdoor activities, and riding shotgun in her RV or on the back of a motorcycle. Stephanie enjoys writing about her travels, reviewing new titles, and is an aspiring children’s book writer. Her reviews can be found atFireside Collectionsand you can follow her on Twitter @MrsCollinsNL.