Lisa Gardner delivers a novel that will keep you firmly planted on the edge of your seat from page one. From the moment we get a peek into Lorraine "Rainie" Connors's mind we are gripped by the strength of her despair, and when she falls victim to a madman's kidnapping scheme in the very first chapter, we're hooked.
Enter a cast of strong characters, each one nicely rounded out, including the child she is an advocate for, troubled Dougie Jones; her estranged husband and consulting partner, former FBI profiler Pierce Quincy; his one remaining daughter, newly minted FBI agent Kimberly; her fiance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Matt, and a host of other crime fighters.
The tension builds by increments throughout the novel, ratcheting up through police and task force blunders and missteps, the invasion of the press and the kidnapper's demands. When the kidnapper starts taking other victims and escalating his threats faster than the task force can keep up, you find yourself unable to put down this book.
Civilians are suspected, officers are injured in the line of duty, and the glimpses into the kidnapper's mind through his ransom notes seem to lead only to tragedy. As we watch Rainie fight for her life and the lives of her fellow victims, and Quincy fighting along with her on the task force, the reader is allowed brief glimmers of hope amidst the nail-biting.
The conclusion of this novel is pleasantly unexpected. Gardner manages to mask the kidnapper's identity effectively throughout the novel, and the reader only begins to have an inkling in the end, unlike other novels where you know from the first chapter "who done it". The tension is ratched at an even pace, leading the reader quietly and inescapably to the novels conclusion. Kudos to Gardner for being a master of her slice of the American Fiction pie.
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