Catching a kidnapper takes teamwork
...and a St. Bernard.
Alanna Morgan was raised in remote Alaska by a couple who
called themselves her parents -- not kidnappers. A jailbreak brings her
face-to-face with the past she wants to escape and on a collision course with
the woman who stole her childhood. Alanna can't let other helpless victims be
abducted and sets out with Chance, a therapy St. Bernard, by her side. But
Desparre rookie police officer Peter Robak has other plans for the civilian
investigator. Together, in the mountain wilderness in frigid temperatures, criminals
aren't the only threat they face. A wary alliance and a rescue dog will have to
be enough to keep them alive and to catch a desperate fugitive.
Good book full of twists and turns. Five years earlier, Alanna
and several other children were rescued from the "parents" who
kidnapped them and raised them in a small Alaska town (
K-9 Defense). Though
happy to be reunited with her real family, Alanna continues to have conflicted
feelings about the woman who raised her. When she hears that Darcy escaped
prison and kidnapped two more children, she believes that Darcy will head to
Alaska to hide. Alanna thinks that if she can find her, she can talk Darcy into
releasing the children. She heads for Alaska to offer her services to the
police there.
Alanna has mixed feelings about being back in Desparre, a
place of both good and bad memories. Along with her dog, Chance, Alanna visits
the small police department to find that they regard her offer of help with
deep suspicion. They believe that she's more likely to help Darcy than them. So
she decides to investigate on her own.
Rookie cop Peter Robak is especially skeptical. A former
war correspondent, Peter has first-hand knowledge of the effects captivity can
have on a victim. His journalistic career ended when a kidnapping victim blew
herself up under the guise of being rescued. Now he plans to keep Alanna under
surveillance, hoping she'll lead him to Darcy.
The suspense of the story was terrific. Peter and Alanna
start out mistrusting each other. But when Alanna uncovers a clue that could
reveal Darcy's hiding place, her search lands her in the middle of an
avalanche. Peter's tailing of her puts him in a position to rescue her, and
they form an uneasy alliance. When Alanna's instincts prove correct, Peter finds
himself willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't sit well
with the police chief, and suddenly Peter has to make some difficult choices.
There were multiple twists to the story as they close in on Darcy and have to
walk a fine line between the cops and the kidnapper.
Just when it looks like they've succeeded in their
mission, another kidnapping strikes especially close to Alanna. An unsuspected
player is out for revenge, and Alanna is the only one who can end it. Peter,
who is already on thin ice with his boss, takes extreme steps to protect Alanna.
The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over. It
also left me hurting for Peter, whose life is upended once again. I liked the
epilogue and seeing how everything turned out.
The romance between Peter and Alanna was a slow one that
mostly took a backseat to the suspense. Despite his mistrust, Peter soon
discovered that he liked Alanna and wanted to believe her. Attraction blossomed
between them. Peter worried about Alanna's safety and risked his job to keep
her safe. Alanna worried about Peter and the consequences helping her would
have on his career. Neither one expected the feelings that grew between them. I
liked the ending and the new direction Peter found for his life. The future for
both of them looks good.
My favorite secondary character in the story was Alanna's
dog, Chance. As a therapy dog, he is very good at helping calm those around
him. There were times he almost seemed human in his interactions with both Alanna
and Peter. I also loved when his St. Bernard instincts kicked in, sending him into
rescue mode during both avalanche incidents.
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