A Different Title Would be Better

The Lost by Natasha Preston

Unlike most of Preston's books, I am not really clear on where this one takes place. Also, the title doesn't really work for me. Lost implies something unintentional, and the people who are 'lost' in this book are kidnapped, which is not the same thing.

Piper is sixteen, and her older sister died sometime earlier. She is quite the homebody, but goes out to the lake with her friend Hazel one night. While there, she sees Caleb, a hot, rich guy that has taken notice of her. When Caleb and his friend ask Piper and Hazel to go for a ride with them, it seems innocent enough, but boy is she wrong. They end up in a secluded cabin in the woods, where the "games" are just beginning.

Prior to Piper and Hazel being taken, several other young people their age have gone missing over the course of months. As it turns out, these teens were all taken and used as part of a game for Caleb and his friends. There are six rooms that have to be survived, and each room has its own form of torture. Will Piper be able to survive the rooms and escape, or will she die? The only way you will find out the answer to this is to read the book.

The End of the Search

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

I have loved this series since I discovered it by accident on the shelves of my local Target store and am sad that it is over. I have loved following the adventures of Audrey Rose and Thomas. To know this was the end saddens me. I'd like to think that is why I took so long to read it, that I was savoring it, but I know that is not true. I just haven't wanted to read. At any rate, this was, as its predecessors were, worth the read.

This installment begins in New York City, with Audrey Rose and Thomas about to get married. There are deaths very similar to the Jack the Ripper murders, and there is speculation that the Ripper has crossed the pond. Of course, Audrey Rose and Thomas have to be a part of the investigation. Meanwhile, they are planning their wedding, which, unfortunately, does not go through because Thomas' father forged a letter that betrothed him to another woman.

In an effort to buy some time to sort out the forgery thing, Audrey Rose and Thomas head to Chicago, just in time to see the World's Fair, the White City. While there, they discover that many women have gone missing, and of the few bodies that have been found, they learn that the Ripper seems to have come here.

There are a whirlwind of emotions reading this one, but as I have already said, this one is so worth the time. This is a series that I am seriously considering re-reading from the beginning; it enthralled me that much.