Connie’s review of Trapped by Chris Jordan
Suspense Thriller from MIRA 1 Nov 07

Jane Hartley’s 16 year old daughter fought and beat leukemia when she was a young child. And since she beat it, Kelly has been fighting her mother’s desire for her to ‘take it easy’. This all comes about in the first chapter as Jane is ‘tsk, tsk’ing a young, tattooed woman, who is too stupid to have on a helmet, while holding onto her boyfriend (with one hand!) as he recklessly drives his motorcycle on the freeway.

Of course, she is shocked to see the young woman is her daughter. Suddenly, everything Jane thought she knew about Kelly disappears faster than you can say ‘Myspace.’ Sadly their mother/daughter relationship isn’t the only thing that is missing – so is Kelly. And the police seem to think she has ran off with motorcycle driving bad boy (boyfriend?) Jane knew nothing about. [Ed. note: she is still only 16! I don’t understand why that wouldn’t be an issue!]

So she does the only thing she can think of doing and hires a former F.B.I. agent to help locate Kelly. And things go from bad to worse – not only did her 16 year old daughter have a boyfriend she knew nothing about, she met him online and Seth is no boy but an adult.

They are finally lead to Florida but really on their own because they keep hitting walls and no one seems to be able or want to help them. Even though Kelly is something of a brat you want her to be okay. She is a childhood survivor of leukemia, Jane’s been thru the pain once before, and there is no fear worse for any woman then losing her child.

I read this book with my breath held hoping everything would be fine. Yes this is MIRA and is published from Harlequin but make no mistake – THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE.  Honestly, that was disappointing because all the pieces were in place and it could have tied up very nicely on the romance side of things without taking away from the suspense plot, but, the author (a man) didn’t go that way.

The characters are really enjoyable – one of my favorites would be “Fish” – but it does drag in places. And gets to be too detailed and boring in spots. Over all not a bad story, but if the ending had tied the characters together, I would have ended up much happier as is I was left with a very confused feeling at the end of the book.

Grade: C –

Read an excerpt.

“Mom, I need your help. Please call—” That’s it. The call cuts off in midsentence. No static. Nothing.

Just an overwhelming silence.

Long Island single mom Jane Hartley is frantic when her sixteen-year-old daughter, Kelly, a survivor of childhood leukemia, disappears from her bedroom one night. To Jane’s frustration, the police believe that Kelly ran off willingly with her boyfriend, Seth. Unaware that her daughter even had a boyfriend, Jane soon discovers that Seth is no boy. He is an adult—a man who, after meeting Kelly on the Internet, took the teenager on one thrill-seeking ride after another. From motorcycles to skydiving, Jane’s little girl has been hiding some dangerous secrets.

Like mother, like daughter.

Adamant that Kelly is not a runaway but, rather, is being held against her will, Jane hires ex-FBI agent Randall Shane to follow the trail of her missing child. But every step brings them closer to a cold-blooded predator lurking in the shadows… coiled around Jane’s shameful secret…waiting to strike.

Read an excerpt.