Stolen Things by R.H. Herron – a Review

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Description:
“Mama? Help me.”

Laurie Ahmadi has worked as a 911 police dispatcher in her quiet Northern California town for nearly two decades. She considers the department her family; her husband, Omid, is its first Arab American chief, and their teenaged daughter, Jojo, has grown up with the force. So when Laurie catches a 911 call and, to her horror, it’s Jojo, the whole department springs into action.

Jojo, drugged, disoriented, and in pain, doesn’t remember how she ended up at the home of Kevin Leeds, a pro football player famous for his on-the-field activism and his work with the CapB—“Citizens Against Police Brutality”—movement. She doesn’t know what happened to Kevin’s friend and trainer, whose beaten corpse is also discovered in the house. And she has no idea where her best friend Harper, who was with her earlier in the evening, could be.

But when Jojo begins to dive into Harper’s social media to look for clues to her whereabouts, Jojo uncovers a shocking secret that turns everything she knew about Harper—and the police department—on its head. With everything they thought they could rely on in question, Laurie and Jojo begin to realize that they can’t trust anyone to find Harper except themselves . . . and time is running out.

Review:

Stolen Things by R.H. Herron is a suspense thriller that was so very well written.  This is the debut novel for this author, and after reading this story, I will most definitely read her again. Stolen Things started with a bang, as we met our heroine, Laurie Ahmadi, immediately.  Laurie has worked as a 911 police dispatcher for 20 years (she is a former cop), and picks up a phone call that is every parent’s nightmare.  The person on the other end is her 16 year old daughter, Jojo, who is crying for help, not knowing where she is and just woke up from being drugged.  Laurie’s husband Omid (police chief) is the first to arrive on the scene with other members of his force, with Laurie not far behind. 

A dead body is discovered in a closet, and in another room of the house, an NFL player is woken from sleep, and immediately arrested.  Kevin (NFL player) remembers nothing, as he too may have been drugged, but the police do not believe him, and Laurie wants desperately to hurt him for what he did to her daughter.  Jojo will explain that Kevin is her friend, and he would never hurt her; but no one believes it.

With Jojo in hospital, being examined, Laurie confirms that Jojo was raped, and pushes herself into the investigation, despite Omid and other police officers try to stop her.  Jojo remembers that she went out with her friend Harper that night, and Harper is missing.  Once Jojo is released from the hospital, she is determined to help her mother investigate the case, as well as try to find Harper. 

What follows is an exciting, nonstop action packed story that kept me glued to my seat.  Jojo reveals some of her secret life;, helping Harper & Kevin working for the CapB activist movement (Citizens Against Police Brutality.  She begins to find out more information on the internet, as well as from phone messages on Harper’s phone, which may involve the police department.  This will force Laurie to secretly try to look into the police department records, causing havoc in the police station, and with Omid, who is in hospital after a heart attack.  With Harper missing, and Jojo insistence the Kevin is a good guy, Laurie begins to believe her, and focuses on the department.

To tell too much more would be spoilers, and throughout the who book, things change often.  There are a number of twists along the way, especially the last third of the book.  Stolen Things was so very well written by Heron, and does cover a number of topics: murder, rape, police brutality, politics, race, homosexuality, etc.

Stolen Things is a wonderful thriller, and great mystery that has you unable to put the book down.  I strongly suggest you read this debut novel by R.H. Herron.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher