by Ann Maxwell
First published 2007
Federal judge Grace Silva receives every parent's worst nightmare: her teenage son Lane Franklin has been kidnapped. The boy is trapped inside All Saints School, a private Catholic institution in Mexico, held captive by Hector Rivas Osuna, the brutal drug lord known as the "Butcher of Tijuana." Osuna demands the return of money he claims Grace's ex-husband Ted Franklin stole from their former business partnership. Grace hasn't heard from Ted in over three weeks, and time runs short for Lane's survival. With no alternatives left, Grace turns to Joe Faroe, a former kidnap specialist who possesses the skills to extract her son. The catch: Grace shared a passionate weekend with Joe sixteen years earlier, then helped put him behind bars. Now she must convince him to set aside their bitter history and risk everything to bring Lane home alive.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: All Saints School, Mexico, Tijuana
Period: Contemporary
490 pages · Paperback · Avon Books
Content warnings: kidnapping