The hook:
In this Taken-like thriller, the daughter of an intelligence agent and a programmer is kidnapped while on vacation. Her parents’ already strained marriage is put to the rest as they search Europe for their daughter, each of them with their own egos and agendas affecting their efforts to save her.
My impressions:
This was almost too intense for me, I’ll have to admit. If you’re at all squeamish about gore, you may want to skip some of the scenes near the end of this book, but all in all, it’s a solid thriller with some memorable twists. I liked that the characters all had agency in their own ways, as sometimes stories with a kidnapping can lean too hard into the helplessness of either the victim or their loved ones.
For such a suspenseful book, I was surprised by how often the pacing seemed to meander, the narration wandering off to chase down subplots with only tangential connections to the main storyline. This might frustrate some readers, but if you’re willing to stick with it, I think the pacing can serve to build the suspense even further. Just be prepared to wait for the story to move forward and enjoy the ride.
Happy reading!
Kat Pollock 