Girl in Trouble

Would have never figured out the ending! Great read!

It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, I recommend it.

Interesting story, easy to read, likable characters, I enjoyed reading it even though I was not looking forward to reading about the kidnapped child. Thankfully it was not a gruesome tale and no detail of child abuse etc… There were a few passages that I had to scan through because I wanted to know what happened and the writer was just going on and on about some unnecessary details.

“Girl in Trouble” by Stacy Claflin is an exciting book readers will not be able to put down. The book plays on every person’s fear, that a child would be kidnapped and possibly, never seen again. We warn children about the ‘Stranger Danger” rule and think they understand us, but would they remember the warning if they were approached by a seemingly kind stranger who tells them something that interests them and encourages them to go with him or her. Would the child go or remember the ‘Stranger Danger’ warning and just walk away? We meet 11 year old Ariana Nakano, the daughter of Zoey Carter and Alex Mercer. She lives with Zoey’s parents since they adopted her when she was born to their 16 year old daughter, knowing they could do a better job of raising her than their daughter Zoey who had to finish high school and then college. To Ariana, her mother and father are called “Mom” and “Dad” and her grandparents are called “Mimi” and “Papi”. She loves all four of her parents but really adores her dad Alex who had moved away and only sees her only several times a year, on her birthday, her favorite holiday Halloween and on Christmas. Alex, who is a roofer and alcoholic, comes to Ariana’s yearly Halloween Party. Alex’s parents, who live next-door to Zoey’s parents, also come to the party with Alex’s sister Macy, who had survived a kidnapping fifteen years prior to this party, and Macy’s husband Luke. Ariana is unhappy when Zoey and Alex are together because they always end up yelling at each other. Alex and Zoey had remained close when Ariana was a baby but grew apart as their lives went in two different directions, Ariana graduating from college and becoming a child psychologist and Alex dropping out of college and becoming a roofer who is unhappy with his choices in life and always ready to fight if he feels threatened. As Alex is leaving the party, Ariana convinces him to take her to the Ball Palace, an indoor playground with video games, ball pits and slides. As the two of them have fun together, Ariana convinces Alex to stay late and sleep at his parents’ house until the next day. While Alex is calling his boss and telling him that he will not be at work the next day, Ariana wanders around and spies one of the parts of a game she is playing on her phone. She begins searching for other parts for her game when a man approaches her, telling her that he plays the game on his phone too and has spotted a rare game piece in the parking lot. The man offers to take her to capture the game pieces’ image on her phone. Now readers start to want to tell Ariana not to go with the man, “Stranger Danger”, but she goes and as readers fear, is kidnapped by him. Alex, finishes texting his boss and looks for Ariana. He walks in the direction she told him she would head and sees her leaving the building with the man. He yells for her to stop but with all the noise, she cannot hear him. He runs after her and sees her being forced into a black SUV. Alex runs after the SUV, cannot catch it and calls the police. Now readers hear Alex’s anguish as the describes the man and the car to the police and then hear the hatred he has for himself when he thinks about what he has done and how he will tell Zoey, her parents and his parents. We go to the kidnapper’s home and hear him calling Ariana “Jan” and telling her he has saved all her toys and clothes from the time she died. The story takes us back and forth from the kidnapper’s home to Alex and the police Captain he befriended when his sister Macy was kidnapped so long ago and now tries to help him find his daughter. We know Ariana realizes something is wrong with the kidnapper and hope she will not do anything to make him kill her. I think readers will be as surprised with the ending as I was. I also know readers will probably read into the wee hours of the night as I have, hoping that Alex can find Ariana and keep her alive.

It was an excellent read

Another great read !

After reading the first book, I decided to buy the other two. Wonderful trilogy. Look forward to more!

could not finish it – that happens… oh 3 times in my life?

Suspenseful. Intriguing. Fast-paced.
Even though the 80 something chapters can freak out any reader, especially myself, that’s why it took a while to read. It’s very fast-paced thanks to the intriguing plot, unique structure and modern writing style. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a page turning thriller/mystery.

I’ve been trying to get more into this genre and I’m glad I picked this one up. It’s fast and fun but still with enough detail to make you feel like you’re in the world. I’d read another in this series.