A TWIST OF THE LENS

A woman housesitting for her brother must rescue her kidnapped niece in Devecchi’s novel.

Charlie is intrigued when her brother asks her to housesit. He and his wife live in Colorado and will be traveling in Europe, and they need someone to take care of their daughter, Alex. Charlie believes it takes a village to raise a child, so she would not mind having a bigger role in her niece’s life. Plus, she may be able to drum up some business for her security company with new Colorado contacts. It’ll also be a good excuse to get her motorcycle out on the road—the “Flying Candy Cane” is a personal treasure of Charlie’s, and she wants to ride it all the way to the Rocky Mountains. She’s been having unpleasant flashbacks to her youth, when she was lured into a shoplifting ring by a man in the neighborhood. Upon arrival, her brother’s house is a quintessentially American family home that looks “like it should be inhabited by creepy little porcelain dolls with smooth, polished, rosy-cheeked faces, and tiny gingham clothes.” Alex is running a pet-sitting business with a friend; one client is a neighbor, Mr. Benson. When Alex suddenly goes missing, Charlie has to amass information quickly and put her skills to the test. Devecchi’s thriller picks up speed in the second half—the first part of the narrative is all background and setup, some of which is intriguing, but more clarity is needed (questions remain about Charlie’s home city and occupation). The story takes off wonderfully once Charlie reaches Colorado, and readers who are looking for a thrilling yarn won’t be disappointed. The pacing is confident, the tension is high, and the landscape is deceptively beautiful (“The mountains bask in the rising sun that paints them with hues of pinks, reds and oranges, making them look like something from a dream”).

A well-executed thriller with a compelling hero that takes a little while to get going.