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Peter, a movie producer, and his beautiful wife, Nora, an actor, are vacationing in Italy. They have been squabbling quite a bit lately, and both hope this vacation will get their relationship back on track. While shopping, the pair spots a beautiful dress in the window of a boutique. Peter waits as Nora tries it on, but he grows restless as it seems to be taking an unusually long time. When Peter checks, he finds the dressing room empty and finds a back door leading to a canal with clear signs of recent use. Peter calls the police and soon learns that this isn't the first case of a beautiful foreigner being kidnapped. Unfortunately for Peter, the police aren't much help.
Peter feels lost, but he gets a break when one of the lackeys involved in the kidnapping decides to earn a little extra money and sell Peter some information. He doesn't learn much, but the information leads him to Istanbul. With the help of a new friend, Demir, and his sister, Sofi, a local police officer, Peter sets out to find Nora. Meanwhile, Nora is being housed on an island with a doctor who is to perform a procedure on her before handing her over to her powerful abductor. Nora has other plans. She escapes and finds herself on the grounds of a mental institution, where she finds unexpected assistance. Her new friends help her escape to the mainland and Istanbul, but she is captured again. Peter gets to the point where he is ready to give up, but an unexpected ally joins his cause, and his group decides to act.
Russell's novel lands solidly in the thriller genre. Rather than a mystery in which the protagonists try to solve a perplexing murder, Russell's book involves the characters racing to save one of their own who has been kidnapped. They must succeed before her time runs out and the story becomes one about murder. Genre readers will find this book reads much like a James Patterson or Harold Coben work. Russell's pacing is similar to that of many of Patterson's books. The characters are pitted against the clock, and the writing keeps the narrative moving quickly, adding to that sense of urgency. In addition, both Patterson and Coben write books that seem made for Netflix films; they start quickly, feature exotic locations, often have beautiful or charismatic people facing wealthy, powerful forces, include a few too many chance encounters that move the plot, and sometimes include misplaced humor. Foremost, they are entertaining. Russell's book hits on all these points. It would make a fast-paced, summer popcorn movie that would engage most of the audience. The writing in Russell's book is polished and practiced. This novel certainly delivers everything readers of the genre expect. In a market swimming in the genre, Russell's book should stay afloat. Readers who gravitate to thrillers won't be disappointed with this novel, and it is likely that many will become fans hungry for Russell's next book.