Trapped
Chris Jordan
Mira, Nov 2007, $6.99
ISBN: 9780778324713

In Valley Stream, Long Island single mom Jane "The Wedding Lady" Garner and her sixteen year old daughter Kelly share a strong bond forged from when the younger almost died from leukemia. When Jane wakes up one morning, she is stunned to find her daughter not home. She calls the police, but they do nothing as they assume Kelly ran off with her boyfriend Seth, whom Jane has never met; even an AMBER Alert is considered inappropriate as the teen left on her own accord instead of abduction.

Jane learns that Seth is not a teen, but instead is an adult her daughter met on MySpace.com. She also finds out that her offspring has been trying daring stunts of late so riding a motorcycle with Seth is no longer a shocker. When the call of help from Kelly is cut off, Jane panics, but hires ex-FBI agent Randall Shane to find her daughter.

This is a fabulous suspense thriller that changes viewpoints from third person filled with action to first person so that the reader can see how deep her fear is gutting Jane's insides and how much she blames herself. The story line is loaded with fabulous twists from the moment that Jane knows her daughter is in trouble and never slows down as Russell works diligently to save her life while trying to help Jane cope. By not having a romance interfere, Chris Jordan makes the desperation seem even more harrowing in this superb drama.

Harriet Klausner