Meet Rachel Hatch: An Investigator Who Keeps Moving

Rachel Hatch has left the Army, but she has yet to find a comfortable place in civilian life. In the opening chapters of Drift, she moves around the country, drawn to the familiar rhythms of towns near military bases. She carries her belongings lightly. The experience she gained in uniform is harder to set down.

Hatch spent fifteen years in the Army, including eleven with the Military Police’s Criminal Investigation Division, and served as a warrant officer. Those facts help explain her confidence when she asks difficult questions. They also establish a tension that runs through the beginning of her story: she still has an investigator’s skills, even when she no longer has an investigator’s authority.

A reason to step in

An early encounter with a young woman in trouble shows how Hatch makes decisions. She listens, takes the woman seriously, and acts because she believes she can help. Anger is present, but Hatch works to control it. She knows that losing control would make her less effective.

For a reader, that combination gives the action a clear motive. Hatch notices harm, makes an assessment, and accepts the trouble that may come with intervening.

Home asks something different of her

Her sister’s death brings Hatch back to Colorado and gives her an investigation she cannot hold at a professional distance. Family also draws out a less guarded side of her, sometimes awkwardly. When her young niece greets her with an exuberant hug, Hatch wants to return that affection and struggles to do it.

Those moments are part of the appeal of meeting her at the beginning. She can be physically assured and emotionally uncertain in the same chapter. Her return home asks her to navigate relationships as well as unanswered questions.

Start with Drift

Drift, by L.T. Ryan with Brian Shea, introduces Hatch as she tries to understand what happened to her sister. It is a good starting point for readers drawn to capable investigators, personal stakes, and action shaped by a character’s choices. The Rachel Hatch reading guide lists the series from there.

Header art: AI-generated editorial illustration of a fictional mountain setting.