A Small Fortune by Audrey Braun

Celia Donnelly is hit a time in her life where she's on auto-pilot.  Her husband of eighteen years, Jonathon, is a president of a bank.  Her son, Oliver, is sixteen years old and quite surly.  I have one of those, so I quite understand.  Her marriage? ho-hum.  It's routine.

When her husband surprises her and Oliver with a vacation to Mexico, Celia is excited.  This is just what they need - time to relax and time together.  However, her vacation is short-lived when she is kidnapped while running on the beach.

The kidnapper is a stranger but seems to know Celia, and she doesn't understand what is going on. She just wants to go back to her family, but as clues begin to unfold, Celia's past comes to the forefront as the puzzle pieces begin to click into place.  Jonathon is not as he seems and Celia trys to determine if her kidnapper is foe or ally.  It all comes to head in a brilliant climatic ending. 

I really enjoyed the character of Celia, she's stronger than she believes and has guts.  She's not afraid to show her courage without losing any of her feminity, which she uses to her advantage.  I never did like Jonathon, he's cold and callous.   Audrey Braun's debut novel is hard to put down.  With romance, suspense, action, different climates and extraordinary writing, A Small Fortune is a taut and riveting read. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Audrey Braun is the pen name of the author Deborah Reed. She has lived all over the United States and in Europe. She now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family of boys and dogs. A SMALL FORTUNE is her first suspense novel.