A guy gets up, comes downstairs to fix himself some breakfast, and gets shot. When he comes round in the hospital, ten days later, he finds that his wife was shot dead, and his baby daughter is missing. A ransom note soon appears demanding two millon dollars, but threatening that there will be no second chance if he involves the police. Although he delivers the money, the kidnappers are scared off and don't return the baby. Eighteen months go by and he receives another ransom note...

Another gripping read, with some great page-turning moments. I especially liked the bit where he comes home with a travel bag containing the ransom money and a mobile phone which the kidnappers have told him they'll call when they want to provide instructions. The police are waiting for him at home, wanting to question him about his wife's death. After a while they ask "what's in the bag?", and just then the mobile phone starts ringing...

But... I don't think it was as good as Tell Noone or Just One Look - and I don't think it was because I was tired of the format; it just didn't seem quite as substantial as those books. Having said that, I did read it pretty quickly.

Will be worth reading more Coben, but perhaps I'll give him a rest for a little while.

Completed : 1-Apr-2006