Intervention

Prolific suspense author Blackstock (Double Minds ) begins with every parent's nightmare: a drug-addicted teenage daughter is dragged to a rehab facility. When the interventionist is found dead and the teen is missing, mother Barbara Covington tries to find her daughter before police can arrest the girl for murder. Short chapters and terse dialogue propel the fast-paced action. It's competent genre work, though the characterizations could go deeper. The villain is somewhat improbable, and the 14-year-old brother of the missing teen is exceptionally clever and poised. But the mother-daughter relationship strikes true emotional notes; the redemptive arc of evangelical Christian fiction is natural and resonant in a story of addiction. Blackstock's many fans will be pleased, and this story will also speak to families dealing with addicted children. (Oct.)