Torn Apart
Sharon Sala
Mira, Jul 1 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780778327929

Their marriage apparently died several months ago due to his employment and her need to remain in her hometown of Bordelaise, Louisiana keeping them apart. However, Katie and oil troubleshooter J.R. Earle stay connected though separated because they both love and want to be involved with their preadolescent son Bobby.

While J.R. is on an offshore rig, a tornado hits the town causing several deaths and plenty of property damage. Bobby is reported as one of those who died though his body has not been found. However, Bobby's friend Holly Maxwell who suffered a broken hand, insists she saw a stranger take Bobby with him. Not willing to wait for either the law tied up with the tornado emergency or for J.R., Katie goes after her son.

The second Bayou Storm Front romantic suspense (see Blown Away) is a fast-paced thriller that provides long deep looks into the townsfolk struggling with the emergency including the deaths, and the fears of father, mother and son; especially harrowing is Bobby's viewpoint as a kidnapped victim. Although the profound character perspectives mute the suspense somewhat, readers will appreciate the lioness vowing to get her cub back from the monster as she refuses to wait for the cops, the Amber Alert or her estranged husband

Harriet Klausner