An American couple scours Hanoi, Vietnam, to track down their abducted infant son in Rosenberg’s thriller.

Heather Ricci has long yearned for her own baby, but years of trying have only led to pain and bitter disappointment (“It had been five years of torment”). She and her husband, John, finally decide to adopt, and they travel to Hanoi to pick up their child, 8-month-old son Alden. While they’re still in Vietnam, a woman who asks to hold Alden makes off with the baby. Heather and John frantically search for any signs of the kidnapper; while some of the locals help out, the police aren’t especially accommodating. Now, the couple wonders if there’s truth to the news they’ve recently heard about corruption concerning an adoption program in Vietnam. On a recommendation, they turn to Mitch Alexander; formerly a combat tracker during the Vietnam War, Mitch suffered from PTSD and spent years in the country thwarting human traffickers. If traffickers indeed have taken Alden, finding him may entail trekking through Vietnam’s dense jungle, something Heather is willing to do to save her son. Rosenberg’s novel moves at a brisk pace that rarely slows down. The sudden abduction and resultant search are deftly intercut with the couple’s backstory (involving unexpected hurdles during the adoption process), giving the narrative unrelenting tension from the start. Heather and John are undeniably flawed characters who, in a few instances, run the risk of becoming unlikable. But they’re both believable as well, and each of them showcases, in different ways, an admirable determination to keep their family together. Their captivating melodrama blends smoothly with the action as Heather and John chase down suspects and face natural dangers in the jungle. The supporting cast proves equally strong, from Mitch, whose thorny past includes an estrangement from his own family, and a Hanoi local whom the couple can truly rely upon.

Remarkably grounded characters fuel this exhilarating tale.