Taken by Dee Henderson

Released: May 26, 2015
432 pages

About the Book:

Abducted at the age of sixteen and coerced into assisting the Jacoby crime family, Shannon Bliss has finally found a way out. She desperately wants to resume some semblance of normal life, but she also knows she has some unfinished business to attend to. She has enough evidence to put her captors behind bars for a very long time. When Shannon contacts private investigator and former cop Matthew Dane to help her navigate her re-entry into society, she quickly discovers that gaining her freedom doesn't mean her troubles are over. For one thing, her brother is the leading candidate in the race for Illinois governor, and news of her escape will create a media frenzy. For another, the ransom her family reportedly paid years earlier appears to have been a scam; no one knows what happened to the money. And then there's the fact that Shannon's escape involved faking her own death. If the Jacoby family learns she is still alive, they'll stop at nothing to silence her.If justice is to be done, and if Shannon's life is ever to get on track again, Matthew will need to discover exactly what happened to her--even if it means stirring up a hornet's nest of secrets.

My Rating & Thoughts:       🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

 

It took me a while to decide how to rate this one. On one hand I really liked the characters of Matthew and Shannon and felt they were both really well developed. But on the other hand I found the story a bit slow at times with a lot of dialogue and very little action actually happening. This was not what was I was expecting with a suspense book. But in the end I went with 4 stars because the characters just resonated with me.

The story is told mainly from the Matthew’s point of view, what he is being told by Shannon. There is a bit of mystery as Shannon slowly shares her story with Matthew. What happened to her during the 11 years she was missing, what instigated her kidnapping, how did she escape and will the people involved be caught?

I enjoyed the way the relationship between Matthew and Shannon was handled, yes there was an attraction between the two, but Matthew understood that Shannon needed time to adapt to her new circumstances before pursuing a romantic relationship. He gave her friendship with no strings attached and connected her to others who would treat her the same way. I liked that characters from previous books made appearances, especially Ann & Paul, it was fun getting a glimpse of how they are all doing.

 

There were definitely some moments that provoked thoughts on why God allows bad things to happen. Two quotes that stuck out to me were: “God decided to create a world where free will was more important than no one ever getting hurt. There must be something stunningly beautiful and remarkable about free will that only God can truly grasp...” or “I can tell the difference between the acts of man and the acts of God. That’s why I still believe.”

 

The strength and depth of the characters Matthew & Shannon keep me connected with the story and even without the normal action I expect from suspense novels I enjoyed this one.