Deliverance: A Road Trip to Die For

In this novel, a 20-something Californian on a road trip winds up entangled with child traffickers.

Jaden Troy Parker, who has been “driving a truck for a local delivery company,” has saved enough money for a “holiday excursion” through the American West. He first heads to Phoenix to meet up with a couple of high school pals. When one of those friends, an investigative journalist called Seth Rosen, dies, it looks like murder, despite the police’s claims that it’s a suicide. Seth’s latest unpublished exposé examined child traffickers and named names. And with that exposé currently sitting in Jaden’s email, killers are now apparently after him. These are likely the same traffickers who abducted Marisol, a young girl whom Jaden, through sheer luck, saves from the men who seized her. Thankfully, Jaden has made two resourceful friends in Arizona—astrologer Viva Vega and bookstore clerk Lyla French, both of whom he seemingly has a romantic interest in. They hit the road to stay ahead of the traffickers and, perhaps, to try to rescue Marisol’s kidnapped twin sister, Marisa. Michael certainly doesn’t skimp on building a lively cast. For example, readers learn all about Jaden’s troubled past (he was unhoused for a time in California) and witness the organic development of his new relationships with Viva and Lyla. The tale starts slowly, but once the danger becomes undeniable, a swift, thoroughly entertaining pace sets in and rarely lets up. Standouts among a bevy of superb characters include Viva’s likable cop brother, Luca McCloud; Lyla’s father, Hunter, an ex–Special Forces operative who worked for the FBI; and an instantly recognizable villain who relentlessly pursues Jaden and the others. While it’s hard to miss Jaden’s first-person narration incessantly describing Viva’s and Lyla’s physical attributes, there’s no doubt he seeks a deeper connection (or friendship) with both. All of this culminates in a convincing wrap-up, although a few teasers in the final act imply a sequel is possible.

Indelible characters drive this sparkling, worthwhile thriller.