Paul and Joanna Breibard are childless Manhattan professionals who have traveled to Colombia to adopt what they hope to be their first child. But no sooner do they meet the newest addition to their family than they're kidnapped by left-wing militia who blackmail the couple, getting them to cooperate in a risky drug smuggling operation in exchange for their safety and the safety of their daughter. The plan involves Paul himself smuggling the drugs into the US alone. After being forced to swallow 36 condoms stuffed with cocaine, he's told he has 48 hours to deliver the contraband to a to-be-specified location in New Jersey. His failure to complete the transaction will mean death for both his wife and the baby.
After making it safely through customs and into America, Paul finds that his contact's residence has been destroyed, suspiciously having burnt to the ground overnight. Desperate, he contacts his faithful lawyer Miles Goldstein who links Paul up with Moshe Skolnick, a Russian mobster and character nearly as grisly as Paul's kidnappers. James Siegel has been compared to Dean Koontz and Harlan Coben as an author who writes action-packed thrill rides. His 2005 novel Detour was well-received by both fans and critics. Like Koontz, Siegel keeps the action suspenseful, writing in short paragraphs and swift, abrupt chapters usually ending in one cliffhanger or another. Readers who like these kinds of thrill rides will enjoy the near-warp speed pace of the novel, but those who like a little more substance to a character may not be so intrigued. The book does feature some creative sequences and is fairly unpredictable throughout. (FIC SIEGEL)
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