Giacomo Giammatteo has written another stellar thriller. The tight plot has so many twists and turns that putting this suspenseful book down just isn't an option!

What starts out as a relatively straight-forward kidnapping becomes increasingly complex, as it becomes clear that the professionals behind the crime make no mistakes - or do they? Gino Cataldi, the detective in charge of this case, must see this through to the end despite his inner conflicts and fear of failure in order to save the girl as well as for his own personal redemption. Playing by the book when he can, but always following his conscience, Cataldi and his team race against the clock as the deadline for paying the ransom and saving a girl's life and honor accelerates to an unexpected conclusion.

The excellent character development compels the reader to care about the players in this novel and sets the book well above average for books of this genre. Snappy and believable dialogue, an intelligent plot and a satisfying conclusion - this book really delivers! Definitely a 5-star read! ( )

Book Info: Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of suspense/thriller/mysteries with a noir feel
Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, sexual assault, threat of rape, violence, drug use, mention of girl being raped in the past, murder

My Thoughts: This is actually the second book in a new series, but due to some issues that needed to be ironed out, the first book, Old Wounds, will not be released until next year. The books do not need to be read in order, so it all works out.

This is another excellent book by Giacomo Giammatteo. Gino is a great character, multifaceted. In fact, I was incredibly impressed by how everyone had shades of gray. Even many of the villains were highly relatable. Mostly this is a fairly sober book, as it's about serious things, but Gino has a dark sense of humor that comes out in unexpected ways, such as when he is watching the airport and thinks, “No one was coming out holding signs that read, 'we're the kidnappers.' I felt pretty confident of that.” Or when he was on hold: “I was deeply involved with trying to decipher the hidden meaning of it [Mr. Tambourine Man]—all songs from that era [60s] had hidden meanings...” Tip Denton was a real hoot, very much a Texan at heart and always first to make a comment about anything. Julie is never seen, but described as having purple hair, multicolored nails, and always listening to music from the 60s. Just a great group of characters.

One thing did bother me, though. Having faith is all well and good, but I found Lucia's constant comments that, “The Lord won't let anything bad happen to such a good person,” to be naïve and unrealistic. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and telling yourself that sort of thing will just bring heartache when those bad things happen.

But that is such a small thing, and really didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. If you like mystery/suspense/thrillers with a noirish feel, then you really can't go wrong with this one. Check it out!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Gino Cataldi is a man hanging on by a thread. Cancer took his wife, and drugs put his son in rehab. All he has left is his badge.

When a teenage girl is kidnapped it brings back nightmares from the worst case he ever worked—the one that tore his life to shreds and forced him out of Philadelphia.

Gino doesn't want this case but he knows he has to take it. Not just to save the girl, but to earn redemption for what went wrong in Philly. ( )