Count to Three

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. In a lot of ways it was great, exactly what I was after - kidnappings, detective work, some killer moves to defeat the bad guys, etc. In other ways it was kind of a mess. It started out fairly solid - if not a little lame. Dani was kind of bland and some of the investigation was just dumb. The whole thing with Frank was insane. Why wouldn't she have placed the cameras herself to start with? Wasn't that the whole point? It just seemed like she made some dumbass decisions with her investigation - and yes, she recognises her mistake but it also just made her look incompetent.

Ali was interesting. She seemed a pretty stereotypical victim to start with but she had some real moments of brilliance. I show more loved her plan to unseal the utility bill and slip in her note. And I adored her use of the mother's bones to make a weapon - it was fkn brutal and it was awesome. I only wish she had of actually stabbed him with it instead of tasing him. On the other hand... I was annoyed Dylan was killed. I wanted Ali to escape and reunite with Dylan and live happily ever after. This was the same problem I had with Ragan's [b:Abducted|13765729|Abducted (Lizzy Gardner, #1)|T.R. Ragan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446520793l/13765729._SY75_.jpg|16544641] when she kills off the love interest I liked. Ragan never hesitates to kill off characters and frankly it's always a hit or miss for me - I either totally respect it or absolutely hate it.

I liked Quinn and I loved Ethan. Although like Dani, Quinn made some fkn dumb decisions. Her entire plan to run into the house was just plain stupid. Why not tase him unconscious before planning the rescue? Or wait until Dani is in place to watch him or something? I loved Ethan's dedication to helping and being Ali's only hope. I did like the portrayal that detective work is checking minor details and being persistent but it was lost between the ridiculousness of the rest of their investigating.

I did like that all the crimes were wrapped up. But it also happened a bit too abruptly. It was just like - need to end this book, okay this this and this is how it went, the end. As far as the motive for the kidnapping I have so many problems. It made practically no sense whatsoever. Why did Rebecca/Hattie kidnap Tinsey? What was the point? To anger Matthew? It was just weak. Add to that Matthew knows and never bothers to mention it? Also weak. Thinking his daughter had died but actually lived and he buried some other girl was just insane. Your mistress kidnaps your daughter and the daughter dies and you get handed a body and just decide to bury it? What? Why? He hadn't done anything wrong - affairs aren't actually illegal - so why not just take Tinsey and go home? Why not just call the cops? There was no reasoning for not calling the cops at that point. And then - so Tinsey lives and Matthew never knows. Fine I guess. But what the fk is Rebecca/Hattie doing with her? Why keep her? What's the point? Just to look after her? Did she want a kid? Did she kidnap for profit? None of it really made any sense.

So I'm conflicted. I enjoyed reading it. I liked most of the characters. The plot was messy but it hit most of all the right points of kidnapped daughter, missing person crime books. It was let down by the motives but overall it was a decent read. 3 stars. show less

Dani Callahan is a private investigator in Sacramento who got into her career because her five-year-old daughter Tinsley was abducted on her first day of kindergarten. She has been searching for her for the five years since Tinsley's disappearance.

Quinn Sullivan, aged twenty-two, has been working with Dani for a while learning the business. She is searching for the mother who left one day and never returned. Quinn was fifteen and refuses to believe that her mother would have left her.

Like Dani's case, Quinn doesn't have any leads to find out what happened to her mother.

When a young girl named Ali Cross disappears, it is first believed that she ran away. But a witness - 12-year-old Ethan Grant - saw her thrown into the back of a white show more panel van. The police investigate but can't confirm Ethan's account. So Ethan decides to hire a PI on his own who will investigate what he saw. He chooses Dani Callahan,

As Quinn, Dani, and Ethan begin to unravel the clues that might lead to the identity of the kidnapper, we are shown what is happening to Ali at the hands of a man who is a psychopath. Those scenes were quite graphic and especially so in audio version.

Meanwhile, Dani has found a new string to tug in her investigation of her daughter's disappearance when a photo from the company picnic for her ex-husband's company which occurred just days before Tinsley disappeared shows her ex talking with a woman who looks a lot like Dani and another picture showing that same woman face-painting Tinsley. Tracking the woman down isn't easy. She was a temp worker and Dani soon learns that she was using an alias.

And Quinn and Ethan are busy trying to identify the van that Ali was thrown into. Then things get dangerous... Dani is attacked in her office, Ali's boyfriend is murdered, and Ethan is grabbed by the same psycho.

The story was packed with tension as the clues were gradually unraveled. I enjoyed the characters and found the plot engaging. The narrator did have a vocal quirk which got a little annoying as she audibly inhaled at the start of many sentences and paragraphs. Otherwise, the characters were distinct and the pacing well done.

Fans of thrillers will enjoy this story. show less

This one was just okay for me. I wish I'd loved it more. It had solid writing and the dialogue and characters were interesting. It's even a very quick read. But I didn't fee like this was a new story. It was interesting but pretty cookie cutter for this type of mystery - missing child, years later, P.I. work, etc. I thought the POV of the held captive were disturbing and really hard to read at times. I'm not 100% sure they really added to the story. I know others have and will love this so if this genre/story type is your type, then grab this one, I'm sure you'll love it.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

To say I loved this book is a huge understatement!! I devoured it, hanging on every word, loving every character even the bad ones. So we’ll written and just amazing all around. Will definitely be looking for more books by T.R. Ragan!