Saturday, December 10, 2011

Taken-Robert Crais

Taken


Robert Crais

Putnam, Jan 24 2012, $26.95

ISBN: 9780399158278



Jack Bermon and Krista Morales are in California’s Anza-Borrego Desert enjoying each other’s company when people arrive. One of them points his shotgun at Jack.



Soon afterward, Krista’s mom Nita receives a call demanding ransom money for the safe return of her daughter. The affluent Nita believes her offspring is pulling a ploy to obtain money to finance her running off with “that boy”. She hires Elvis Cole to bring her normally intelligent daughter home. Elvis and his partner Joe Pike begin the search, but soon realize mom is deadly wrong re her assertion as they find blood and bullets in the desert. The investigators know that, if either of the pair still lives, lethal Bajadoreshave gangsters have taken Krista and Jack prisoner; payment not met means death in the desert. Cole goes undercover to infiltrate the kidnappers, but he vanishes leaving Pike to find his partner before he is either sold or killed.



This heart pumping thriller starts off at hyperspeed and never slows down until the final confrontation. The heroes to include Jack are heroic trying to insure Krista’s safety; while the villains are vile as they murder and kidnap people. Cole and Pike are terrific as always (see The First Rule) in this strong suspense thriller.



Harriet Klausner



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