Nonstop action

This book is almost physically exhausting. Sara Winthrop is a working mother whose three children are kidnapped. To save them, she has to play a "game" designed by the madman who took them. The action starts almost on the first page and never lets up. It was a quick and entertaining, if somewhat implausible, read. ( )

Bookbub notified me this book was free from Amazon. I've found a few gems in the free Kindle book bin and this had fairly strong reviews. The 'game' plot device is mildly interesting, but not unique. And that's the only positive thing I can say. Not poorly written, but lacks any suspense. Obvious who's behind the game almost from the beginning, but neither that person nor the main character are compelling or developed enough that I cared much how it would turn out or what the bad person's motivations were. It's a series that I won't be continuing. ( )

A great story leading up to an ending that I, for one did not see coming...All I can say is Wow...Its still on my mind ( )

Holy smokes that was a fast paced book! I was instantly hooked, which has been rare for me lately. I love how the author doesn't waste time with stupid filler and just dives right in. I was a little disappointed when I found out who was behind everything, but I think I was hoping for more. It made sense though and I did like how it all ended. I am going to continue with the series, mostly because I'm curious how they're making it a series since this one very obviously ended. Not going to be the best writing you every read and there are some plot holes, but if you're looking for something fast and a little intense that you can just relax and read, then I think this is it. ( )

"Say, 'It's just a game,' one more time. Go on, do it. I dare you." -Anonymous

Sara is the VP of Marketing for a fast-growing video game company in Portland, Oregon. She is highly successful and she is a mother of twin 5th grade girls and a boy in kindergarten. Her husband left for the gym one day and never came back. It's been hard for her to raise the kids alone and work such a high-pressure job. But she is a strong person. Then, one day, she gets a call from her son's school that plunges her into a crazy game of life & death.

Turns out all three of her children have been kidnapped. She finds a note on her car that says, "ARE YOU READY TO PLAY THE GAME?" This is actually a line from her company's new video game. This sends her mind reeling as she tried to figure out who is doing this to her family. The kidnapper calls her and gives her instructions. If she doesn't follow the instructions exactly, her kids will suffer. He makes sure to demonstrate this to her by making each of her kids cry at one point while Sara is on the phone. She has no way to reach the police, the kidnapper is monitoring her every move. How is she going to get out of this alive... let alone save her children?

This book is a great thriller. I enjoyed trying to figure out exactly what was going on. I will say that I was pretty sure I knew who was behind the game fairly quickly. But I didn't see all of the twists that were coming and I had no idea how it was going to end. I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read; I couldn't wait to find out the resolution and who would survive.

Recommended to:
Adults who like thrillers and mysteries. It kept me on the edge of my seat. ( )