The Children's Cop

When things go bad on the job, Houston Juvenile Division of Missing Persons Detective Lucy Montalvo internalizes it though she knows she must stay aloof if she is to avoid burnout. Her last case did not end well but before she can mentally move on, she is assigned another missing teen investigation. Her neighbor reported that fourteen year old Angelina Beckett has vanished without a trace. Reluctantly Lucy begins making inquiries. The same neighbor calls Angelina's Uncle Jackson Davis. He immediately realizes that his sister-in-law has gone on one of her benders and his brother never cared, but he and gramps does. He travels to Houston to find his niece and hopefully take her home with him and shower her with love. As Lucy and Jackson search the mean streets, they meet and soon fall in love. However, the prime objective remains rescuing a frightened teen, who feels unloved by one and all. The latest "women in blue" novel is an enjoyable police procedural romance starring two likable lead characters and an intriguing support cast. Jackson cares about his niece who he has loved from the first moment he saw her as an infant while Lucy personalizes each teen she tracks. Though a key twists involving Holden is handled well, it seems overkill as Angelina has enough on her plate as a teen runaway. Still Jackson and Lucy in their combined search for Angelina make for a fine tale though how love had time to blossom is the real mystery of this contemporary. Harriet Klausner