November Publication

Cold Silence has all the makings of a compelling revenge drama—a husband killed by the Russian mob, a son kidnapped, ostensibly by the same people; and a tenacious mother who's willing to do anything to retrieve her son. Unfortunately, Danielle Girard (Chasing Darkness) tries to stitch her story together with more plot threads than she can handle. Former FBI agent Cody O'Brien and her son, Ryan, have been on the run ever since her husband's murder. Now living in northern California, the two strive to keep to themselves. But when Ryan is kidnapped, Cody grudgingly accepts help from her neighbor, retired Marine colonel Walter Turner. An unexpected plot development adds confusion and complexity, but by the time readers reach the long-winded and not so tidy resolution, they'll wish Girard had opted for a more straightforward plot. (Onyx $6.99 384p ISBN 0-451-41059-9)