New York Times bestselling author CJ Box’s novels have been called “red hot,” (Booklist) “an edge-of-your-seat read,” (Omaha World-Herald) and “unforgettable, powerful.” (Bookreporter). Now, he delivers a novel that steals your sleep as much as it wrenches your heart. It’s a novel that could be anyone’s worst nightmare…
Jack and Melissa McGuane were both thirty-four-years-old and were happily married. There was only one thing missing in their life... and that was a baby. After years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive a baby the old fashioned way... they went through a costly and complicated adoption process... but it seemed to be all worthwhile... with the arrival... of "their" gorgeous, precocious, daughter, Angelina. Little Angelina was the missing flower that made their personal love bouquet complete. Angelina was now nine-months-old... and Jack and Melissa's entire life orbited around sweet... gurgling... Angelina. Then the world as they knew it... came to an abrupt end. Out of nowhere... the adoption agency notified them that the teenage biological father didn't... and wouldn't... sign away the parental custody papers. The signing of this document was... per the adoption agency representatives... a foregone conclusion. A literal slam-dunk... not even worth mentioning as a possible problem. But it became more than a problem... it became a nuclear explosion... and that's where this gifted author spreads his literary wings... and takes the reader on a non-stop... heartfelt... journey... that starts in Denver and stretches all the way to Germany... Montana and back.
What is so spellbinding about this story, is that unlike so many other novels, where the protagonist is in law enforcement... the military... advertising... journalism... etc. Jack merely works for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau... and Melissa quit her job to be a fulltime Mother. They can barely meet their bills... so if Jack can't work for even a short period of time... they'd lose their house and their ability to survive economically. As with any nuclear explosion... there is additional damage after the initial shock. The teenage boy... Garrett Moreland... not only wants his child back... but he is a certified sociopath as well... with ties to the Mexican Mafia. If that isn't enough... Garrett's Father is Federal Judge John Moreland... and the Judge makes it clear from the get-go... that Jack and Melissa have no choice but to give the baby back... and give her back in three weeks.
What follows is Jack and Melissa doing everything in their power to try to figure out a way to stop this nightmare... and keep their dream baby with them. Joining them in this near hopeless task are two of Jack's childhood friends from Montana... Cody Hoyt a hard drinking Denver cop... who is in the midst of being embarrassed by the same Judge Moreland in a giant pedophile court case... and Brian Eastman... a gay, successful real estate man... who bandies about in all of Denver's high society events. As the story unfolds the reader gets to know about their rural upbringing... and any reader who is a typical hard working family person... can't help but identify with Jack and Melissa's plight... even as dead bodies start to mount. In the midst of gang-banger intimidation... killing of pets... and help from a wild-shotgun-armed Uncle from Montana... the author never allows the violence to seem cartoonish. I can truly say... you won't be able to put this book down. Though the author has a number of previously released books... this is the first one that I've read. I was so impressed that I have already ordered his next book, which is scheduled for release in June... even though I don't know what it's about.
Jack and Melissa McGuane were both thirty-four-years-old and were happily married. There was only one thing missing in their life... and that was a baby. After years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive a baby the old fashioned way... they went through a costly and complicated adoption process... but it seemed to be all worthwhile... with the arrival... of "their" gorgeous, precocious, daughter, Angelina. Little Angelina was the missing flower that made their personal love bouquet complete. Angelina was now nine-months-old... and Jack and Melissa's entire life orbited around sweet... gurgling... Angelina. Then the world as they knew it... came to an abrupt end. Out of nowhere... the adoption agency notified them that the teenage biological father didn't... and wouldn't... sign away the parental custody papers. The signing of this document was... per the adoption agency representatives... a foregone conclusion. A literal slam-dunk... not even worth mentioning as a possible problem. But it became more than a problem... it became a nuclear explosion... and that's where this gifted author spreads his literary wings... and takes the reader on a non-stop... heartfelt... journey... that starts in Denver and stretches all the way to Germany... Montana and back.
What is so spellbinding about this story, is that unlike so many other novels, where the protagonist is in law enforcement... the military... advertising... journalism... etc. Jack merely works for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau... and Melissa quit her job to be a fulltime Mother. They can barely meet their bills... so if Jack can't work for even a short period of time... they'd lose their house and their ability to survive economically. As with any nuclear explosion... there is additional damage after the initial shock. The teenage boy... Garrett Moreland... not only wants his child back... but he is a certified sociopath as well... with ties to the Mexican Mafia. If that isn't enough... Garrett's Father is Federal Judge John Moreland... and the Judge makes it clear from the get-go... that Jack and Melissa have no choice but to give the baby back... and give her back in three weeks.
What follows is Jack and Melissa doing everything in their power to try to figure out a way to stop this nightmare... and keep their dream baby with them. Joining them in this near hopeless task are two of Jack's childhood friends from Montana... Cody Hoyt a hard drinking Denver cop... who is in the midst of being embarrassed by the same Judge Moreland in a giant pedophile court case... and Brian Eastman... a gay, successful real estate man... who bandies about in all of Denver's high society events. As the story unfolds the reader gets to know about their rural upbringing... and any reader who is a typical hard working family person... can't help but identify with Jack and Melissa's plight... even as dead bodies start to mount. In the midst of gang-banger intimidation... killing of pets... and help from a wild-shotgun-armed Uncle from Montana... the author never allows the violence to seem cartoonish. I can truly say... you won't be able to put this book down. Though the author has a number of previously released books... this is the first one that I've read. I was so impressed that I have already ordered his next book, which is scheduled for release in June... even though I don't know what it's about.
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