Ambitious FBI Agent Nicky Gordon and LAPD Chief of Detectives Mike Hardy (more than just acquaintances) are assigned together on a major task force after 3 separate simultaneous kidnappings occur, all related to the mega-billionaire Randolph Schraeder.

Five victims are being held in 3 different locations.
The kidnapped Schraeders: 34 year old 5th trophy wife (and former Army Ranger) Elizabeth “Boo” Schraeder, snatched in Beverly Hills; 8 year old Finnegan and 9 year old Calvin Schraeder, taken off their school bus in Bel Air; 40-something sleazebag producer adult son Tyler Schraeder and 20 years younger “starlet” Cassandra Bart, forcibly removed from a Mexican resort.

Old man Randolph “there isn’t an obstacle in the world that money can’t overcome” Schraeder would rather use his own security firm, headed by James Haller and Virgil Tighe. Cooperation isn’t easy, and Nicky and Mike suspect there’s a mole in their ranks, since Schraeder’s team and the kidnappers know way too many details of the investigation. Also, since the elder Schraeder has been paying 40 million annually in premiums for Kidnapping & Ransom insurance, maybe this is a way to dump the recent wife and eliminate the pesky greedy son, plus get the insurance payout. Or maybe the top heir wants his father removed from the board and declared non compos mentis. It’s obvious dad might not be concerned about Tyler. In any case, someone was clever enough to pull off the abductions, presumably with some insider knowledge.

As usual, Patterson’s signature story structure is short chapters with multiple twists. There are a lot of characters involved, the Schraeder family, the multiple police agencies, and the very large kidnapping organization that self-names its perpetrators as One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six. Each kidnapper and abductee has his/her own backstory as well. This could have been messy, but Patterson and Swierczynski manage to tie up all the ends very neatly in multiple stages. The truly evil guys pretty much get their comeuppance — although the guy with all the money can still afford another billion dollar ransom demand. 4.5 stars!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors were mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Lots of Mojave desert locations.

Thank you to Little, Brown, and Company and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!