Kidnapping cases are always awful but this time, it’s much, much worse. DI Kim Stone and her team are handed the case where two nine-year old girls, best friends, were abducted in broad daylight. What makes it even more insidious are the demands of their captors. The parents are pitted against each other to bid for their child. The winning bidders will get their child back; the losing couple will not. It’s a tough case where the clues are spare and tensions are in the stratosphere.
What made this story even more of a nail biter is having the points of view of the abductors. It’s made clear very early on how dangerous and sadistic at least one was and he scared me silly. His tormenting of those children was close to unbearable so of course I couldn’t stop listening until the end. The dynamics between the parents and the team were just as anxiety ridden and Kim is almost at a breaking point.
It’s an outstanding story if you can take the nerve wracking suspense and fear for those children. There are other related issues going on, as if the abduction wasn’t enough and there was a need for more excitement. The narrator, Jan Cramer, continues to deliver great performances and I’ll always listen to this series because of her. At times it seemed to be too much but there’s a wonderful payoff at the end that sneaked up on me, along with some really special and sensitive moments. This is great storytelling.
Book Info
Release Date: November 16, 2015
Series: DI Kim Stone #3
Narrator: Jan Cramer
Audio Length: 10 hours, 33 minutes
Publisher: Bookouture
Blue Mood Café 
Child abduction stories always keep me on the edge of my seat and this one sounds like it definitely would. Wonderful review!
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Thank you, Tessa💜 This was riveting!
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Fab review Jo. It’s a bit too dark for me!
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Thank you, Nicki💜 Yes, it was dark but that payoff? Worth every moment.
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I’m really glad that you enjoyed this one. This is one of my favourite crime series.
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Thank you, Jacob💜 It’s definitely in my top five mystery series, too.
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I really must get back into this series, out of the two books I read, I liked one, the other was just okay. But I think I need to give it another go.
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I’m now a big fan. Alexandra, I highly recommend they be read in order, at a minimum, read that prequel she recently wrote. It puts the series, characters and backstories in proper context.
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I think it was the first two books I read, but out of order, and that’s maybe why. I need to jump in with the next book and pick it up from there.
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Nice review but it sounds too scary for me!
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Thanks, Carol💜 It’s not for the faint of heart!
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That’s me! 😱
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😏
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I have this series on my TBR and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. Fabulous review!
Anne – Books of My Heart
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Thank you, Anne💜 You are going to LOVE it! Highly recommend the audio format.
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Sounds like a nail biting story. Glad you enjoyed this thriller, Jo! Excellent review!
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Thanks, Marialyce💜 You cannot imagine the tension!
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Fab review! I really need to follow your lead and finally start this series. xD
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Thank you, Yvo💜 You won’t regret it. I’m reading the series with a Goodreads group, one book every month, and we can hardly wait for the next month to start the next one.
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Oh shoot I wish I had known about it earlier! I’m hoping to find time to catch up in 2021, although I have quite a few series I’m saying the exact same thing about. xD
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We’re just getting started, this being #3 but the fourth book, counting the new prequel. You could easily catch up as this is such a binge-worthy series. And, we have each book set up as a separate discussion with ~15 questions each. Even if you start now, you’d be able to join the individual book discussions at any time. FYI, I create the discussion questions, which are in a separate group designed for this.
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Wonderful review Jo. This one definitely gave me the heebie jeebies. This is the last one I read, but hope to get back to this series in 2021.
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Thank you, Carla💜 Heebie jeebies is the perfect descriptor!!!
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