Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw is the fourth book in the Sloane Monroe Mystery series. It falls between a cozy and the dark, hardcore suspense that I love so much. I did enjoy meeting Sloan and love that she is a PI instead of a cop. She’s a PI because, “I don’t like people.” She doesn’t play well with others.

Stranger in Town deals with a difficult subject, child trafficking. Though Cheryl Bradshaw doesn’t delve into specific details that occur all too often with those taken, it is not any less frightening.

Olivia knew something wasn’t right….but she was frozen in fear.

Imagine your child at your side, doing your normal grocery shopping. An innocent errand turns horrific when you notice she is no longer at your side, no longer in the store… I can’t imagine anything more terrifying.

Sloane has her own backstory, which is what drives her to commit everything she has to finding the young girls. There are now two missing, a four year old, Savannah, and a six year old, Olivia. What could someone possibly want with them? Did they want them for their own? Did they want them to sell them?

Sloane wants to make everything whole again. She is methodical, thinking things through before acting, but something is different this time. She’s different. She will do whatever needs doing to get justice. I can relate to her desire to run when she is cornered. It’s all about perspective. Sometimes stepping away opens your eyes to what is in front of you.

Uh oh. At 55% I smelled a rat!

When Sloane talked to Sierra, Savannah’s little friend, it was heartbreakingly sweet.

In Stranger in Town, Cheryl Bradshaw covers more of Sloane’s search for the missing girls than the subject of human trafficking. There was more than one instance when I thought a character was suspicious, but it wasn’t for the reason I expected. We do have a twist, and that will happen when the villain feels he was betrayed, or put at risk of being exposed.

I would love to read more of Cheryl’s work and meeting Sloane was well worth the time.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw.

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All this stranger needs is for little six-year-old Olivia Hathaway’s mother to take her eyes off of her little girl. She does for just a second and he easily kidnaps the little girl. It is now two years later and a man calls Sloane Monroe, P.I., to investigate the kidnapping of his own daughter six months ago. He has evidence that proves that the two kidnappings are related. Of course, Sloane takes the case.

Are the girls still alive? If so, will Sloane be able to find them in time? In this nail-biting entry of Cheryl Bradshaw’s Stranger in Town, Sloane Monroe #4, my heart bled for these two families. Don't let this book slip through your fingers. ( )

A novel that deals with child kidnapping is bound to tug some heart-strings. But this story, despite scary action scenes and harrowing mystery, keeps the reader engaged with a certainty that all will yet be well—a promise that the author keeps to the end. Lots of statistics feed the reader’s fears, genuine heart-searching keeps the protagonist honest and clean, and a well-orchestrated dose of good luck accompanies the search for a good outcome. Old-fashioned feelings, modern relationships, familiar Utah and Wyoming locations, and occasional judgementalism all add to the convincing portrait of a female PI who is different, real, and, of course, ultimately successful, at least in solving her case. It’s a twisted mystery with surprise turns and fascinating premise.

Disclosure: I won a copy and enjoyed reading it. ( )

An excellent, readable mystery and a plausible plot line. Much enjoyed! ( )

You can read my review here:
http://www.abshepherd.net/2013/03/book-review-of-stranger-in-town-by.html# ( )