Cop-turned-dispatcher Laurie takes a 911 call that’s straight from her worst nightmare: her daughter, JoJo, is begging for help. She’s been drugged and sexually assaulted, and she can’t remember how she ended up in pro-football-player Kevin Leeds’ house. Things are further complicated when the body of Leeds' trainer is discovered nearby.
Stolen Things is two parts adrenaline to one part boredom. It combines scenes of everyday family life with riveting encounters between those involved in the crime. The storytelling is as smooth as a veteran ER nurse guiding a victim through trauma. Herron inconspicuously toggles between Laurie’s and Jojo’s perspectives for a seamless account of moment-by-moment action ... The book confronts a slew of today’s issues...with pathos and conviction. Chapters are short, emotional bursts of energy that fuel the quest for answers. Each side is given credence and receives critique. Faint-hearted readers beware; rooted in real events, the tale is graphic at times. The anger is palpable, and so is the love between a mother and daughter willing to fight for each other’s lives.
Herron, a former emergency dispatcher, offers a twisty revenge tale buoyed by successful red herrings, relatable characters, and headline-grabbing themes (police brutality, racism, child exploitation, and sexual identity).
...[a] riveting first novel ... Readers will relate to Laurie and Jojo’s believably prickly relationship and the teen’s efforts to define herself as blue (a member of a police family), 'half brown' (dad Omid is Persian), and, possibly, bisexual. Though the story is eventually swamped by a convoluted police corruption subplot, the fearless mother-daughter duo rates a return appearance. Herron, a former Bay Area 911 dispatcher, is definitely a writer to watch
