Lori loved to travel and went all over the globe, yet, her
husband would never fly anywhere. She loved her husband,
Bryan Bennett, as much as she did when she first married
him and vowed to keep his secret fears safe. But when
Bryan's boss hosts a special dinner to celebrate their
tenth wedding anniversary and dangles a very appealing trip
to Reykjavik, Iceland in front of them as a lure to appease
an important new client, Lori has to struggle to hold in
her disappointment with Bryan when he flatly turns the trip
down. Her secret was that she really wanted to experience
the joy of traveling with her beloved husband.
Bryan is a specialist in hostage and kidnapping processes
for the Odysseus Institute and is a highly intelligent and
perceptive man. He is fully aware that Wally knows Lori's
happiness is his weakness; however, he isn't prepared to
tell him about the shocking and devastating experience he
suffered when he was five years old that left him with
massive and debilitating panic attacks when in confined
spaces. But as Lori's disappointment gnaws at his heart,
he decides that maybe this is the time to grapple with his
fears. After all, Iceland is not a hot spot and what could
go wrong?
Seeking treatment from a renowned anxiety disorder
specialist, Dr. Zeta Parkington, an unrepentant smoker and
emeritus professor at the University of Washington, he is
not impressed with her advice. But when the unthinkable
happens, will her theory help keep him from falling apart?
Aaron Elkins has delivered an action packed psychological
thriller that powerfully and irresistibly pulls you smack
dab in the middle of this dramatic story about the
experiences of people involved in hostage and kidnapping
situations and both the real and perceived fears they need
to face. Elkins' writing is clear and easy to follow. It
is filled with vivid descriptions of places in Iceland and
his characters are strongly drawn with just enough small
vagrancies to make them realistic and not stereotypes.
Reading this amazing book is definitely a much more
intriguing and insightful way to learn survival tips,
handling fear, and ways to avoid being kidnapped than any
technical manual that Bryan writes. Beware -- just when you
think you got it covered, be prepared for the unexpected
and surprising ending!
Aaron Elkins has been hailed as "a master" (The Dallas
Morning News) for his Edgar(r) Award-winning Gideon Oliver
mysteries. Now, in an original new novel, he illustrates how
quickly everything can go wrong when you ask: What's the
worst that can happen?
For Bryan Bennett, designing hostage
negotiation programs is the perfect job-as long as he keeps
a safe, theoretical distance. What he can't do is deal
directly with kidnappers or their victims, as a result of
his own abduction and imprisonment as a small boy.
Thirty-some years later, intense nightmares still plague his
sleep, and a fear of enclosed spaces prevents him from
attempting to travel. So when Bryan's boss asks him to fly
to Reykjavik, Iceland, to teach his corporate-level
kidnapping and extortion seminar, he automatically says no.
But the CEO of GlobalSeas Fisheries, Inc. has specifically
requested Bryan-or no one else. Bryan finally relents...
For
decades he's treaded gingerly around the edges of his
deepest terrors. Now, on this trip, Bryan's taken hostage
again and must face his fears full-on. Will he realize that
in this battle of will and nerve, he is his own greatest
enemy? Or has this fight already been lost, years and years ago?
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