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A riveting prologue introduces this action-packed saga of money, corruption, kidnapping, and the search for family. When beautiful Ursula escapes the clutches of her criminal husband and father-in-law, she does not anticipate that Molly, one of her twins, will be torn from her side. A long journey ensues to reclaim what is hers, involving international crooks, depravity, deception, and murder.
Beider brings alive a world of obsession, lust, and greed that accompany the traps and trappings of wealth. Ursula’s gilded prison is vividly illustrated by a designer gown puddling “around her feet like a shallow pool of blood” even as her husband, Marco, says he will hurt her “in ways you’ve never dreamed of” if she embarrasses him. By contrast, their twins are charmingly fresh with minds of their own. The book’s dialogue expertly reveals the characters, such as when Marco says, “Your tongue should be stapled to the roof of your mouth because you don’t know what you are talking about.” Mateo, Marco’s father, knows this language may not be hyperbole. Marco “had a habit of giving a cosmetic facelift to ugly truths.”
The narrative style flips between the past and future as well as Mexico and the United States to unveil a nasty plot involving a large cast of villains and heroes. The family’s international real estate company anchors money laundering schemes and involves the now-grown Molly. Vivid dialogue shades personalities with well-placed sentences: Ursula shivered when Marco’s “deep voice resonated like a tuba in the orchestra of human inflections.” Beider crafts a dynamic, complex thriller with big stakes. Lively dialogue fuels plot-driven action when a mother searches for her kidnapped child while eluding family villains who wish to silence their dangerous knowledge.