Three Weeks to Say Goodbye

After struggling to conceive, Jack and his wife Melissa are thrilled with their adopted baby girl. Just as they are a family, the baby's birth father comes forward and wants to take their daughter back. Jack and Melissa are determined to keep their family together, but the law is not on their side since the birth father's father is an influential judge. When they learn of the birth father's gang associations and suspect that he is vandalizing their property, Jack and Melissa turn to their friends for the kind of help that the legal system will not give them. Three Weeks to Say GOodbye is a suspenseful thriller, with many Harlan Coben-like plot twists. It is also very violent, and the actions of some of the good guys (let alone the bad guys!) will make your stomach churn. However, Box does such a good job of engrossing the reader in Jack and Melissa's family that he or she will keep reading anyway. Highly recommended for those who enjoy gritty thrillers with just the right amount of humanity.

This is, quite simply, one of those books that you read books for. I have appreciated the author's earlier works, but he just outdid himself on this one. The basic lean, yet full plot, the characters, the flow of this book is just... on point. There isn't a false move, or a reason to pause, in the entire novel. A straightforward, decent man is put into a situation with his wife and child he can't escape from. He does what he has to,with more than a little help from his friends. I read quite a few books. Many tend to disappoint, just filling in what is expected from the author by his publisher that year. Not the case here. Enjoy.

In Denver Jack and Melissa McGuane were euphoric when the adoption was finally approved and baby Angelina made their family complete. They love their infant daughter, but nine months later the thirty something couple is shocked and dismayed. Julie Perala of the adoption agency informs them that Angelina's eighteen year old biological father Garrett, a Cherry Creek High School student, wants his daughter; he never signed the documents waiving his rights to her. His father is powerful Federal Judge John Moreland who demands his son raise his granddaughter. Jack and Melissa love Angelina and want to do what is best for her. Thus they agree to meet father and son, but at the session, the McGuane's realize neither of their adopted infant's paternal side is interested in her welfare. They have a personal grudge agenda and little Angelina is the kickball. Worse the Judge uses his vast power, legal and otherwise, to wreck havoc on the McGuane's trying force them to surrender. However, the scenario is not as straightforward as the Moreland father and son insist; child porn, and murder turn the three weeks from that initial horrifying phone call into hell in Colorado and Montana where Jack's parents reside. Leaving Wyoming and Joe Pickett with a breather, C.J. Box provides his fans with a great thriller starting with the premise of losing an adopted child to the biological parent. The story line is fast-paced from that opening phone call and never slows down as events spiral out of control. Fans will root for the "David" like couple to defeat the Goliath judge who has weapons on both sides of the law and uses them. With a strong support cast in both states and fully developed lead characters on both sides of the custody debate, readers will appreciate this terrific tale of suspense at its best. Harriet Klausner

Jack and Melissa McGuane were both thirty-four-years-old and were happily married. There was only one thing missing in their life... and that was a baby. After years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive a baby the old fashioned way... they went through a costly and complicated adoption process... but it seemed to be all worthwhile... with the arrival... of "their" gorgeous, precocious, daughter, Angelina. Little Angelina was the missing flower that made their personal love bouquet complete. Angelina was now nine-months-old... and Jack and Melissa's entire life orbited around sweet... gurgling... Angelina. Then the world as they knew it... came to an abrupt end. Out of nowhere... the adoption agency notified them that the teenage biological father didn't... and wouldn't... sign away the parental custody papers. The signing of this document was... per the adoption agency representatives... a foregone conclusion. A literal slam-dunk... not even worth mentioning as a possible problem. But it became more than a problem... it became a nuclear explosion... and that's where this gifted author spreads his literary wings... and takes the reader on a non-stop... heartfelt... journey... that starts in Denver and stretches all the way to Germany... Montana and back. What is so spellbinding about this story, is that unlike so many other novels, where the protagonist is in law enforcement... the military... advertising... journalism... etc. Jack merely works for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau... and Melissa quit her job to be a fulltime Mother. They can barely meet their bills... so if Jack can't work for even a short period of time... they'd lose their house and their ability to survive economically. As with any nuclear explosion... there is additional damage after the initial shock. The teenage boy... Garrett Moreland... not only wants his child back... but he is a certified sociopath as well... with ties to the Mexican Mafia. If that isn't enough... Garrett's Father is Federal Judge John Moreland... and the Judge makes it clear from the get-go... that Jack and Melissa have no choice but to give the baby back... and give her back in three weeks. What follows is Jack and Melissa doing everything in their power to try to figure out a way to stop this nightmare... and keep their dream baby with them. Joining them in this near hopeless task are two of Jack's childhood friends from Montana... Cody Hoyt a hard drinking Denver cop... who is in the midst of being embarrassed by the same Judge Moreland in a giant pedophile court case... and Brian Eastman... a gay, successful real estate man... who bandies about in all of Denver's high society events. As the story unfolds the reader gets to know about their rural upbringing... and any reader who is a typical hard working family person... can't help but identify with Jack and Melissa's plight... even as dead bodies start to mount. In the midst of gang-banger intimidation... killing of pets... and help fro