In this new thriller from the author of critically acclaimed The Yards a cop tracks the
kidnapped teenage daughter of a wealthy developer in a American Rust Belt town. A new Nissan
plant is coming to the depressed Rust Belt town of Baxter and Captain Delia Mariola has been
busy cleaning up the crime-addled city ever since the deal was announced. But when Elizabeth
the fifteen-year-old daughter of the lead bidder on the construction project suddenly
disappears and it becomes clear that a professional kidnapping ring may be responsible Delia
realizes that the factory's influx of cash could bring with it an entirely new sort of danger.
Though Elizabeth's abduction was well-planned and bore the mark of an experienced team her
captors could not have anticipated the quick and clever brilliance of the exceptionally smart
teen. From the trunk of the car where she is held Elizabeth devised a clever trick to get
cryptic messages to those who love her. The only problem is that the messages might be too
cryptic even for their recipients to decipher. If Delia has any hope of bringing the girl home
unharmed she'll have to crack the code and discover the meaning behind each message. And
unless she does it fast there may be nobody left to save... Tough thrilling and filled with
memorable characters The Hostage is a gritty mystery set in the same hardscrabble town as The
Yards. Reviewers on A.F. Carter: 'A breathless suspenser that's also a painfully acute
evocation of the wrong side of the tracks.' Kirkus on The Yards 'Another impressive effort
from Carter.' Publishers Weekly on The Yards 'A riveting must read tale of suspense murder
and retribution.' Reed Farrel Coleman on All Of Us
