It's 2:14 am I just finished reading your book and I really enjoy reading it. I figure out who the kidnappers were early on but I wish the victim was in on it to because those parents deserve a lesson on how to treat one child over the other even though know parents should have go through with their child getting abducted. Overall a good read looking forward to your next book hopefully we learn more about Agent Joan Phillbury and her Partner

This was a decent mystery. I would consider this a novella, but it’s almost novel length so it doesn’t feel rushed. This is not lesfic. I would say this is a book with LGBTQ characters. One of the main characters is Josh, a gay teenager. And the other main is an FBI agent who I would say was either bisexual or a later in life lesbian.

When Josh’s sister is kidnapped, he finds himself right in the middle of the ransom. When he is robbed before he can give the kidnappers the money, the family is forced to call the FBI. Agent Phisburry is assigned to the case and must do everything she can to get Cherry home safe and find the kidnappers.

This is a mystery that has some good twists and turns. I’m finding it very hard to talk about the book since I’m worried about spoilers. It was a quick read that didn’t drag. I found myself having no real idea who the kidnapper was so I was excited to see how the author would solve the crime. I thought the ending was pretty clever.

There is not much more to the story besides the mystery and bits of Josh’s life. There is no romance. I do wish I felt a bit more connected to the characters. However, it was a pretty entertaining read.

At the age of 14, Josh's parents decided that going forward, they would only supply his basic needs ... food, school tuition. Anything else he wanted ... clothing, shoes, books, games, etc ... he would be responsible for. They even told him to get a job because he was also going to have to pay them rent.

According to the parents, Josh needed to learn responsibility. Otherwise, about the only attention he gets is all negative. Josh has a sister -- Cherry. Rules are entirely different for her .. she is given anything and everything she wants. You might think Josh would resent his sister, but he doesn't.

When Cherry is kidnapped, the family decides to follow the kidnapper's instructions and make payment of $2 Million dollars and to not go to the police. The hand-off will be in a particularly bad part of town. The parents, being as they are, agree that Josh should make the payment .. he will more ably blend in with the locals.

But then everything that could go wrong .. does go wrong. They have no choice but to contact the FBI. Agent Phisburry is given the task of identifying and locating the kidnapper. But there's something 'off' with the family .. and she's going to have to dig deep to find the truth about what happened the night Cherry was kidnapped.

This is a novella, less than 200 pages, so it can easily be read in one sitting. It's a quick read with a lot of substance packed between the pages.

I didn't like some of the characters .. especially the parents. Of course, this is exactly what the author was going for ... and nailed it. I couldn't help but feel for Josh .. but maybe he isn't exactly what others see. The sister surprised me with her attitude toward her brother. And there are secondary characters that must not be overlooked.

Many thanks to the author / Ninestar Press / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.