Child of Mine

Lena, a feisty hard-working single mom, toiled to support herself and her daughter, Kimmy, a situation, many readers--women and men can relate to. Lena divorced her husband, Mike because of his love affair with booze. On the second or third page, the story takes off when Lena receives a call saying that Kimmy has been kidnapped. Naturally, the news unravels Lena. Her anxiety is so authentic, I can hear her heart frantically beating, see the sweat on her face. The crisis reunites Lena and Mike. Together, they search for their abducted child. and gradually realize they have some unfinished business between them. Will they reunite? Not if, Mike's girlfriend Jennifer, a hot-to-trot aerobic's instructor has anything to say about it. The story's pace is brisk, the characters and the situations completely believable, though (Isn't there always a though? Well, this is a critique) the denouement is a tad long-winded. Overall, the story is fun, fresh (nothing is predictable) a worthwhile investment of your time. Go get the book!

Lena, a feisty, hard-working single mom toils to provide for her adopted daughter, Kimmy, a situation many women (and men) can relate to. Lena divorced her husband, Mike because of his love affair with booze. On page two or three, Lena receives a phone call that Kimmy has been kidnapped from school. Lena rushes to the school to confront the principal. Her anxiety is so palpable, I can hear her heart thumping frantically, see the sweat on her face. The crisis reunites Lena and Mike, makes them realize they have unresolved issues. But the road to a reconcilation does not run smoothly. Mike has a relationship with a hot-to-trot aerobics instructor, and he has to contend with her insecurities. Together Lena and Mike search for Kimmy, stop to gas up, to grab a bite to eat. I felt like I was right along with them enduring the ordeal. My only gripe is that the climax is long-winded. First, Lena and Mike are searching for Kimmy. Then Mike is looking for Lena and Kimmy. Clearly a case of the author trying to satisfy the word requirement. One spot is even anti-climatic. It had been established that Lena and Kimmy are on the highway with the gun-wielding kidnapper. Yet the story flip-flops between that and Mike and the Feds, with bullhorns, in front of the house where Kimmy had been stashed, prepared to negotiate the child's release. Why? Kimmy's whereabouts has been established. Also, the offensive subjects of child molestation and kiddie porn is touched on and hinted at. Overall, "Child of Mine" is fast-paced, suspenseful and worth every penny.