"Out of Time" by R.S. Perry is a thriller that weaves together multiple storylines of corruption, revenge, and survival. The novel opens at Guantánamo Bay in 2000, where disillusioned Army Sergeant Alex Smith, frustrated by his dead-end military career and desperate for money, accepts a lucrative bribe to facilitate the escape of prisoner 49C-a mysterious female assassin known only as Najma. Expecting to be knocked unconscious with a Taser as part of the plan, Smith instead meets a brutal end, murdered by those who used him to gain access to the facility.
The orchestrator of this escape is Guillermo, the ruthless new head of the Siastra cartel, who has spent months rebuilding his organization after its headquarters was mysteriously destroyed. Through extensive hacking operations, Guillermo discovered that Najma-the assassin he once employed-was not killed as he believed, but imprisoned by the CIA. He needs her alive to uncover the truth about who attacked his cartel and to exact his revenge on those responsible.
Meanwhile, in eastern Washington, Biological Warfare Center special agent Jim Johnson is recovering from gunshot wounds he received in Mexico, inflicted by none other than Najma herself. Living on his ranch in Wolf Canyon, Jim has found unexpected contentment with his small family: his longtime partner Heather, a botanist; Pedro, a five-year-old Mexican boy they adopted; and Lola, a former Yaqui Indian servant who helped rescue Pedro from the cartel. This peaceful interlude represents the first time in years that Jim has been away from his dangerous work, though he struggles with restlessness beneath his contentment.
The tranquil ranch life is painted in vivid detail-the changing seasons, the wildlife, the simple pleasures of family dinners on the deck. But this idyllic existence is built on fragile foundations. Heather lives in constant fear that Jim will be called back to duty, while Lola remains terrified that "the devil lady" Najma will somehow return to threaten them. Pedro, despite his youth, clings to his new family with the desperation of someone who has already lost everything once.
As Najma's escape sets events in motion, the novel promises a collision course between these two worlds-the violent, revenge-driven underworld of cartels and espionage, and the peaceful sanctuary of the ranch where Jim's family has found safety. The stage is set for a confrontation that will test whether love and loyalty can triumph over vengeance and evil, as past actions catch up with present happiness.
