Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction: staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment and her interventionist is found dead at the airport, Barbara enters her darkest nightmare of all.
Barbara and her son set out to find Emily before Detective Kent Harlan arrests her for a crime he is sure she committed. Fearing for Emily's life, Barbara maintains her daughters innocence, but does she really know her anymore? Meanwhile, Kent has questions of his own. His gut tells him that this is a case of an addict killing for drugs. But as he gets to know Barbara, he begins to hope hes wrong about Emily.
Fear rises as the mysteries intensify: Did Emily's obsession with drugs lead her to commit murderer is she another victim of a cold-blooded killer?
In this gripping stand-alone novel of intrigue and suspense, bestselling fiction author Terri Blackstock delivers the up-all-night drama that readers around the world have come to expect from her.
My thoughts:
This was one of those books that just slapped me in the face with it's stark reality. Sure, I watch the tv show Intervention. I know there are people in this world that struggle with addiction. Until this book, though, it never really sunk in how painful and difficult it really must be for people that struggle to get help for their family members.
In typical Terri Blackstock style, this was not just a novel that dealt with a major issue. She had to get her bad guy in their somewhere! In this story, though, she didn't hold out until the end of the book to reveal this crazy madman who was out to get revenge. I liked that I was able to get a better understanding of his character before he really went off the deep end.
I also thought her portrayal of Barbara, Emily's mom, was very realistic. I'm not a mother yet, but I know if I had a child that was in harm's way, I would be beating down the door to the police station every single day for them to get busy finding my child. Her struggle to do whatever she could was constantly at war with Detective Kent Harlan who just wanted her to stay out of the way.
And Lance!!! Barbara's young son almost stole the show! His inquistive personality was a lot of fun to read, as well as his desire to be the "man of the family" at 14 years old.
What more is there to say? I can't help but give 5 huge stars for this powerful novel. It was such a fast read, and worth every second to learn the things that I did. This book challenged my thinking about what goes on in neighborhoods I don't drive through, and in families that keep their struggles hidden. Highly recommended!
Southern? Yes
Sass? No
My book club read Intervention last year. It sparked a lot of discussion. We are reading the second book in the series for April -- Vicious Cycle
ReplyDeleteSounds like one I'll have to keep my eye on! I love suspense or romance with a deeper issue that makes the book more than just an entertaining read.
ReplyDelete@rbclibrary - I read Vicious Cycle last night right after I finished this one, and read it in one sitting. It was absolutely fabulous! I hope your book club enjoys it, too. :o)
ReplyDelete@Renee Ann - This book (and the next) definitely fit the bill! I always like it when I can get my hands on these types of books. :o)