Fourth in the suspenseful Northern Border Patrol series, this tale introduces us to Liz Cantrell who is abruptly ordered to provide a necklace as RANSOM for her terrified sister Jillian. Not only has Liz been chased around her antique store by a prowler, who used the name of her sister's dodgy husband, but Liz has taken a phone call in which Jillian was threatened. Heading north by plane, Liz is picked up by the Canada Border Services.
Nat Longhorn is an agent with the Service, and he works with the FBI to counter serious crime such as smuggling. He only has a rumour about the kidnapping, but obviously the kidnapper ordered Liz not to tell police. This lady is clearly afraid and her bag contains a valuable necklace of unpolished stones, seeming to confirm his suspicions. Agent Blake Fallon of Customs and Immigration concurs that their priority is to free the hostage, but he also wants to take down the crime lord behind the reprehensible activity. The only way he can do that is if Liz co-operates.
With beautiful settings such as the frozen Horseshoe Falls at Niagara, this adventure grips from the start. Liz is an ordinary citizen, not in the habit of dealing with police, and suddenly she is being followed and threatened by vicious men. She has to depend on her own wits and two agents to keep her unharmed. But now that the criminals know she is in the hands of law enforcement, what will happen to Jillian? RANSOM really is a nail-biting series of escapes and tensions. I like that a female agent called Sami is brought in to accompany Liz and there are some references to characters from earlier books.
A few times the complex story stops for conversations and while this does slow down the action, it serves to remind us the decisions are now out of Liz's hands. Indeed the agencies would rather not have her around, so only by persuading the agents that she is determined and reliable can she attempt to be allowed to stay in Canada. In this way we get to know Liz and the people she deals with, who come across as hard working and hardened.
Terri Reed is a top-class author of romantic suspense and RANSOM is every bit as good as we'd expect. The understated, inspirational romance is suitable for adults and young adults.
"WE HAVE YOUR SISTER."
Liz Cantrell is terrified when she receives a call from a
man holding her newlywed sister captiveβand she's
convinced
her sketchy brother-in-law's involved. Willing to pay any
price for her sister's freedom, Liz flies to Niagara
Falls
with the ransom: an uncut diamond necklace worth
millions.
But the moment she lands, a handsome, world-weary
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent takes her into
custody.
Blake Fallon's determined to catch a ruthless
diamond smugglerβand the pretty antiques dealer trying to
save her sister could be just the break his case needs.
But
as they team up to rescue Liz's sister and trap the
criminal
mastermind, a desperate standoff will threaten everything
they hold preciousβincluding their lives.
Northern Border Patrol: Keeping the US-Canada border
safe.
A crash from her sisterβs bedroom brought Liz Cantrell
bolt upright on the couch. She was alone in the apartment
she shared with her sister and had been seated with her
feet tucked beneath her, trying hard to be interested in
the movie on the television with no success. She muted
the sound and listened.
A floorboard creaked.
No way was that from the blustery January wind outside
her second story apartment.
Someone was definitely in Jillianβs room.
Alarm flooded Lizβs veins.
βPlease, Lord,β she whispered as she fumbled to grab her
phone from her sweat pants pocket.
A thud and then a manβs deep growl jolted her into
action.
No time to call for help. She had to get out of there.
Fast. She jumped to her feet and hurried to open the
apartment door. The hinge squeaked as loud as a shotgun
blast.
Thunder rumbled through the apartment.
Not thunder, but feet. A tall figure, wearing a plastic
masquerade mask like those worn at Mardi Gras time and
dressed all in black, rushed out of Jillianβs room. He
had Jillianβs big burl-wood jewelry boxβthankfully not
their motherβs special jewelry box-- in his gloved hands,
spilling the contents of Jillianβs costume jewelry on the
floor as he ran toward Liz.
Adrenaline fueled her fear. She whirled away and ran for
the stairs leading to her familyβs antique shop, her
slippers snagging on the old carpet. The walls of the
stairwell seemed to close in on her. She hated dark,
confined spaces.
She pushed through her anxiety to scuttle down the stairs
as fast as she could. The man came after her, breathing
down her neck like a monster from a horror flick, adding
to the fear tightening her chest and constricting her
throat.
Before she reached the bottom of the staircase, the
burglar grabbed a handful of her hair. With a painful
jerk, he brought her to a halt and pushed her face first
against the stairwell wall. Pain exploded in her cheek
and radiated through her head. Would he kill her? Rape
her? She squeezed her eyes tight, tensing her body in
preparation to fight back and sent up an urgent prayer.
God, help me! Help me, please.
βWhereβs the necklace?β her attacker growled in her ear.
His hot, stale breath made her gag.
βWhat?β Liz struggled to process what was happening. Why
had this man broken into her home? What was he talking
about? βWhat necklace?β
βCome on Jillian, Travis bragged to me heβd lifted it
from Santiniβs shipment to give to you. Since Travis is
so stupid to not keep his mouth shut, he doesnβt deserve
it. And neither does Santini, the pig.β He pressed his
weight into her, his knee jamming into her thigh, his
elbow crammed into her back at the tender spot below her
ribs. βGive it to me or Iβll kill you!β
His words beat into her, almost paralyzing her with
terror. He thought she was Jillian. What would the man do
when he realized she wasnβt Jillian but rather her
sister? Kill her then go after Jillian? She couldnβt let
that happen. She had to protect her little sister.
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