Helpless

More about the book

From the internationally acclaimed author of The White Bone and The Romantic comes a haunting and suspenseful tale of abduction and obsessive love. Nine-year-old Rachel Fox possesses an angelic beauty that captivates everyone she encounters. Her single mother, Celia, juggles her time between a video store and a piano bar, often leaving Rachel vulnerable to both benign and sinister attention, including from model agencies and Ron, a repairman fixated on seeing Rachel again. When a summer blackout envelops the city in darkness, Rachel is abducted from her home, prompting a frantic search. Days pass with no solid leads, only a mysterious phone call from a woman whose voice Celia recognizes but cannot place. As Celia grapples with her terror, Rachel begins to trust her captor’s seemingly kind demeanor. The only other person aware of Rachel's whereabouts finds themselves torn between loyalty to the abductor and the desire to save the child. Will Rachel be rescued before her captor's protective instincts morph into something far more sinister? This narrative delves into the underlying fears of urban life, as the author employs her signature empathy and precision to explore the complexities of love and the precarious line between desire and the unthinkable.