Trapped: A Novel (Private Justice)

by Irene Hannon

Paperback, 2013

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Revell (2013), 400 pages

Description

Fiction. Romance. Suspense. Christian Fiction. A desperate young woman teams up with a tenacious private investigator to find her missing sister before the trail goes cold.

User reviews

LibraryThing member SusanGibsonSnodgrss
This is the second book in Irene Hannon's new series and she does not disappoint.
This book features the second detective in the Phoenix Private Detective agency, James Devlin, better known at Dev.

Laura Griffith's 16 year old half sister, who has come to live with her, has gone missing and Laura
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hires Dev to find her.
Dev digs deep into the case and he begins to suspect more than just a runaway teen angry at rules in her new home.
Something sinister is definitely afoot.

I love Irene Hannon's books because they are never slow starting. They keep your interest from the very beginning and move along at such a fast clip, that by the last, your heart is pounding with the suspense. Seriously, my heart was pounding. No kidding.

She makes the reader grab hold and hang on for dear life as she concludes a thrilling ride. And the teaser for the next book sounds absolutely breathtaking! I wish I didn't have to wait a year for the last in the series.

I never fail to buy an Irene Hannon book because I know it's money well spent.
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LibraryThing member mbarkman
Trapped...trapped in a horrific nightmare! And the worst part of it is, it happens and could happen right in our neighborhood, and we would never know, or our colleague could be involved and yet be the nicest co-worker. I think that is what grabbed my imagination, my heart. This book is not for the
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faint-hearted, and yet I think teenagers need to realize that they are not invincible. And yet, was I any different? Surely I would have denied the fact that I could be at risk.
There are only a few suspense writers who claim a spot on my personal bookshelves, and few that can claim to keeping me awake at night, long after I have finished reading the novel.
Once again, Irene has used her unique talent and delved to the heart of the matter in a realistic and graphic method. Without giving away anything of the story let me tell you that I could not get comfortable while I read, nor could I leave the characters in their various predicaments until the end. The images and story line has been burnt into my conscience and will color my perceptions of life in general from here on in. As I was reading it, I was well aware that this is only fiction, and yet it felt so real, that at times I held my breath and agonized with the characters.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
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LibraryThing member Glenajo
Good Romantic Suspense

This book has all the elements to develop an enjoyable read, like: serial killer, runaway teen, desperate sister, and ex-ATF investigator. Hannnon combines them to create an enjoyable, fun, clean read that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Some of Hannon’s romantic
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encounters seem a little trite and perhaps a little too sweet, but over all, the book is a pleasurable read. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys clean romantic suspense.
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LibraryThing member BookDivasReads
Laura Griffith has only had custody of her half-sister, Darcy Weber, for a few months. Their mother and Darcy's father are both deceased. The worst thing Darcy could imagine was to leave New York for Missouri, but she considers her older sister Laura a little too conservative and leaves. Laura
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knows that she's going to need more than just prayer to track down Darcy and turns to the Phoenix private investigation firm. The investigator assigned to her case is James "Dev" Devlin, a former ATF agent. They are both concerned because a large snow storm is hitting their area, and Darcy may be without shelter.

Dev's investigation quickly shows that Darcy may have been at the local bus station but it is closed due to the weather. Dev and Laura begin to search local shelters, hoping that someone may have seen Darcy. While Dev and Laura are bonding over the search for Darcy, Darcy is being held captive by a shelter worker that showed her some kindness and offered his home and shower facilities for the runaway teen. Both Darcy and Laura rethink their relationship during Darcy's absence, and realize that they both have to be more considerate of each other. Darcy realizes that Laura's faith isn't such a bad thing and that her "rules" aren't as far-fetched as she originally thought. Laura comes to realize that she really cares for her sister and is willing to compromise more on her rules in the future . . . if she ever finds Darcy and is able to bring her home.

I found Trapped to be a quick inspirational, romantic suspense read. Laura and Darcy are siblings that have very little in common other than their mother. Laura is much older than Darcy and is rather staid and overly-conservative to Darcy's mind. Darcy is an out-of-control teenager with authority issues to Laura's mind. They learn that appearances can be deceiving. They also realize that they have both been a little too quick to judge one another and look forward to being able to start anew. The clean-romance angle between Laura and Dev adds just enough spice to the story to keep it interesting. There are quite a few twists and turns to Trapped and Ms. Hannon does an admirable job of keeping the reader in suspense until the very end. If you enjoy romantic suspense or inspirational reads then you'll definitely want to add Trapped to your reading list.
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LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
Trapped is book 2 in the Private Justice series by Irene Hannon. All three standalone novels feature the three men that make up the Phoenix private detective agency and revolve around investigations not pursued by law enforcement agencies. Each book is excellent and must reads for fans of romantic
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suspense, but Trapped is my favorite by far. If you haven’t read this series yet, get on it ASAP.

Laura Griffith hires Dev Devlin to find her runaway half-sister, Darcy. A huge winter storm has hit St. Louis and local authorities don’t have the time or manpower to pursue the case. Darcy has had trouble adjusting to life with Laura following the deaths of her parents, but Laura is determined to bring her home and start afresh. But Darcy is not just a runaway; she is in real danger.

If fast-paced action and chilling suspense is what you crave, then you are going to love Trapped. The creep-factor ramps up early and never lets up. Dev and Laura are also very attracted to each other, so romance fans will be satisfied too. I liked all the main characters, but it was bad-guy Mark Hamilton that was really intriguing. Hannon does a good job of creating a seriously disturbed character who hides behind a squeaky clean facade. His background is slowly revealed to shed light on his phobias and fetishes. Hannon’s message of God’s protection and provision in the midst of trouble rings true and clear. I listened to the audiobook version of Trapped, and the narration was good.

If you are looking for your next thrill ride with a side of romance, then I suggest you check out Trapped.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.
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LibraryThing member JoyAnne
This book reminds me of just how much I enjoy reading. What a fantastic suspenseful romance novel this is! Hannon has always been one of my favorite authors, her storylines are not the usual run of the mill, they are different which makes reading her books so enjoyable.

In "Trapped", sixteen year
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old Darcy has disappeared and her sister, Laura, has no hope in the police finding her so she turns to a detective agency for help. As Private Investigator James Devlin digs into the case he finds Darcy's situation is deadly. Working together a bond begins to form between Dev and Laura. I enjoyed every minute of their investigation into this case.

A well written, clean, read with a touch of light romance which makes it a perfect Christian novel. I highly recommend this as well as Hannon's previous books to anyone who likes a little romance thrown into a mysterious realm of secrets that could kill.

“Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member lcarter11
Laura's a librarian who loves books but doesn't fit squarely in the stereotype. When her kid-half sister runs away, it's revealed that Laura probably doesn't need to work for a living. I'd have loved to have had that and her hobby be given a more prominent role in the story, but they weren't, so oh
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well.
James "Dev" Devlin is yet another hunky member of the Phoenix private investigators, and while he misses a few tricks, he succeeds in (finally) being in the right place at the right time with the right gear. This being Dev's story, it's a little more suggestive. As in barely. As in nobody else will even notice.
This book's psycho is cleverly concealed, but I had a pretty good idea what was going on (perhaps because I've read/seen a similar book/TV episode once upon a time). What makes this book interesting anyway is how they get from A to Z.
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LibraryThing member JenniferRobb
I've read other books by this author and liked them well enough to put her older titles on my TBR list. This is the second book in the Guardians of Justice/Private Justice series. There are three partners in the PI firm and three books in the series--you do the math. :)

This book deals with James
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"Dev" Devlin. I'm still trying to figure out if Nikki was matchmaking when she gave Laura to him as a client or if it was just a happy circumstance (in that Dev was the one on call at the office or the first one in to the office that morning.) It's weird to think of Nikki trying to set up (romantically) a woman whose teenage sister has disappeared.

The technology in the story is a bit dated. Blackberrys still seem to be the item of choice for the PIs though Mark has a cell phone and a burner phone.

I was glad to see some lessons being learned: Darcy realizing that her sister's rules really weren't all that bad; Darcy realizing her sister did care; Laura realizing that she needed to pick her battles and that she could have rules but there needed to be a good reason for the rules.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY BE IN THE REMAINDER OF THE REVIEW. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
*****

I guessed that the beverages were drugged long before the author confirmed it.

Darcy makes a bad choice when she chooses to run away. I'm not sure about her choice to trust Star. On the one hand, Star knows more about the street life and she does get Darcy to go to a shelter (apparently a reputable one)--on the other had, it is because Star agrees to go with Darcy to Mark's house that Darcy goes.

Laura makes a bad choice when she tears out of the house to go get Darcy. She should have called Dev to let him know what was going on even if she wasn't going to wait for him to come.

I feel a bit bad for Faith. She wanted a relationship with Mark--it's too bad Mark couldn't return her feelings rather than looking for the innocent who'd been tempted but who hadn't gone so far that she couldn't turn her life around. But I also feel relief that she was spared what life with Mark would have been had she gotten her wish. I don't like that Mark played with her feelings the way he did.
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Awards

Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Finalist - Published Division — 2014)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2013

Physical description

8.5 inches

ISBN

0800721241 / 9780800721244
Page: 0.478 seconds