Under The Wire: Cindy Gerard

Lily Campora worked for Doctors Without Borders in Nicaragua. While there, she met Manolo Ortega, an 18-year-old contra spy working for President Poveda's staff. After an idyllic week, Lily gets a page in the middle of the night and rushes to the make shift hospital where she works.

Manolo is awakened by Poveda's men. They arrest him and take him away, telling him that Lily betrayed him to Poveda and he will be tortured and killed. In a daring escape, he leaps from the vehicle into a river and is washed ashore. Found by friends, they take him to his American contact who arranges for him to go to America and become a soldier.

Lily returns to the apartment the following morning, only to find Manny gone. After a few days of searching with no luck, she goes to Poveda who tells her Manolo was killed in a firefight. She returns to the States and discovers she is pregnant.

Sixteen years later, Lily is watching a documentary on the Special Forces and is shocked to see Manny's face staring out of the screen. After hiring a PI, she learns he's living in the Boston area. A job opening has come up in that area so she moves. While trying to screw up the courage to go to him, Manny comes into the E.R. where she works. After seeing her, he quickly leaves and she heads back to her office.

Lily receives a phone call that her son has been kidnapped in Sri Lanka. After futile attempts at getting something done to find her son, she realizes she must go ask the only person she knows who can help her find their son.

The author has done it again. As with her previous book, Over the Line, Ms.Gerard has written a gripping and compelling tale. The mother's apprehension and fear for her son's safety is almost palpable; her courage and strength of will are admirable and humanizing. The pent up rage felt by Manny is also gripping; the joy of finding out he has a son, and the fear that he'll never get to meet that son all make for an amazing rollercoaster ride of emotions.

The plot line itself is well written and interesting. She does not write as though these people are super heroes making it beleivable. Each time you think you know what's next? You don't. I am breathlessly awaiting the next book in the series, Into The Dark.

If your looking for a globe-trotting romance and rescue, this is definitely the book for you.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (November 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031298104X
ISBN-13: 978-0312981044
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