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Overview
"Jack and Melissa McGuane have spent years trying to have a baby. Finally their dream has come true with the adoption of their daughter, Angelina. But nine months after bringing her home, they receive a devastating phone call from the adoption agency: Angelina's birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights, and he wants her back. Worse, his father, a powerful Denver judge, wants him to own up to this responsibility and will use every advantage his position of power affords him to make sure it happens. When Jack and Melissa attempt to handle the situation rationally by meeting face-to-face with the father and son, it is immediately apparent that there's something sinister about both of them and that love for Angelina is not the motivation for their actions." "As Angelina's safety hangs in the balance, Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect their child. A horrifying game of intimidation and double crosses begins that quickly becomes a death spiral where absolutely no one is safe." How far would you go to save someone you love?Synopsis
“Compelling and convincing.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Jack and Melissa McGuane have spent years trying to have a baby. Finally their dream has come true with the adoption of their daughter, Angelina. But nine months after bringing her home, they receive a devastating phone call…
“Well-developed suspense…a vigilante revenge story.”—People
Angelina’s birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights—and he wants her back. Worse, his father, a powerful Denver judge, will use every trick in the book to make sure it happens. The McGuanes attempt to meet face-to-face with the father and son…but soon it becomes clear that there’s something sinister about their motivations—and that love for Angelina is not one of them.
“Heart-shredding...When the suspense lets up enough to allow emotion to sneak in, Box gets it just right.” —Dallas Morning News
A horrifying game of intimidation and double crosses begins that quickly becomes a death spiral where everyone is suspect and no one is safe. Now Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect their child—even though time is running out…
Publishers Weekly
In this stand-alone thriller set in Denver, Jack and Melissa McGuane stand to lose their adoptive baby daughter to her birth father, a teenage psychopath who never relinquished his paternal rights, and his father, a ruthless, well-connected federal judge. John Bedford Lloyd creates unique voices for every character and fully inhabits the role of narrator Jack, whose naïveté leads him to make appallingly stupid decisions. Lloyd makes Jack believable and sympathetic and prevents listeners from losing patience with his inability to realize just how dangerous his enemies are. The final CD concludes with a 3-minute interview of author C.J. Box. A St. Martin's/Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 17). (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
For as long as Jack and Melissa can remember, their deepest wish has been to have a baby. After years of futile trying, their dream seemed to be fulfilled with the adoption of little Angelina. The next nine months were blissful as the couple cherished every moment they spent with their adorable prodigy. Then a single phone call slashes through all that happiness: The teenage birth father wants her back and his father, a powerful Denver judge, will do everything he can to enforce that decision. The stakes suddenly become high -- and before long, it becomes a matter of self-defense or murder.Publishers Weekly
In this stand-alone thriller set in Denver, Jack and Melissa McGuane stand to lose their adoptive baby daughter to her birth father, a teenage psychopath who never relinquished his paternal rights, and his father, a ruthless, well-connected federal judge. John Bedford Lloyd creates unique voices for every character and fully inhabits the role of narrator Jack, whose naïveté leads him to make appallingly stupid decisions. Lloyd makes Jack believable and sympathetic and prevents listeners from losing patience with his inability to realize just how dangerous his enemies are. The final CD concludes with a 3-minute interview of author C.J. Box. A St. Martin's/Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 17). (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
Jack and Melissa have wanted a baby for years, and their dream is finally realized when little Angelina joins their family. But they are soon contacted by the adoption agency with terrible news-the teenage birth father never signed off on his parental rights and now wants his child. Jack and Melissa are devastated, and it only gets worse: the teen's father is a federal judge with many high-powered connections, and the family wants Angelina back in three weeks. Box (Blue Heaven) does an excellent job of portraying Jack and Melissa as an ordinary couple trying to do what is right. Jack takes his fatherly duties seriously, and beyond being bewildered and distraught, he begins to see a dark side to these events after he meets the judge and his son. What is the judge up to, and what part will baby Angelina play in this evil scenario? With the help of his friends, Jack goes up against a malevolent force in order to save his family and risks losing everything. This moving and chilling thriller is hard to put down. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ9/1/08.]
—Marianne Fitzgerald
From the Publisher
Bestseller Box (Blue Heaven) explores an adoptive parent’s worst nightmare in this compelling stand-alone thriller. Box’s convincing villains—gangsters, murderers, child pornographers—each provide a different face of evil, and each individual has to decide how best to get at the truth. As usual, Box blessedly reasserts that whatever the cost, such truth exists, and ordinary folk have the strength to find it. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)