Giulia Falcone is an ex-nun, ex-schoolteacher, ex-barista and novice private investigator at Driscoll Investigations. Estranged from her family after leaving the convent, she's built a life for herself and is surrounded by friends. It is perhaps for this reason that she's willing to do almost anything for her friends. A few days before Christmas, she's contacted by Laurel Drury. Laurel is the owner of a soup kitchen in the local theater district and Giulia volunteers there several days a week. Laurel wants to hire Driscoll Investigations to aid in the search for her kidnapped baby. Laurel, and her partner Anya, had recently adopted an infant girl, Katie. They return home from an evening out to find the babysitter tied up and their daughter gone. They contact the police but are blown off. The next day they receive a ransom demand. Laurel, Anya and Giulia are concerned because similar kidnappings have not ended well. Giulia is able to talk Frank into not only taking the case but presenting their participation in the active police investigation to Captain James Reilly. Their request is initially met with resistance, but Giulia is able to successfully plead the case for her involvement. As the clock winds down on the kidnapper's deadline, Giulia realizes that she may have to do something drastic. Her only fear is that she may not be able to find Katie, or worse save Katie before it's too late.

I found Veiled Threat to be a quick read. At times the plot was predictable, but Ms. Loweecey's writing style made the action so interesting that I didn't mind the predictability factor. Giulia is obviously the main character so much of the story focuses on her interaction with his boss/boyfriend Frank Driscoll, her co-worker Sidney, and her friends, Laurel, Anya and Mingmei. The action picks up a bit when Giulia goes undercover at the resort. There's drama found in Giulia's thoughts of family and the holidays, mystery and suspense with the kidnapping and investigation, and even romance between Frank and Giulia. My only disappointment with the story was with Frank Driscoll. I thought he was put too far into the background with regards to the investigation especially since he is the head of the investigative company. If you enjoy clean, mystery-suspense reads, then you'll want to grab a copy of Veiled Threat for a quick and enjoyable weekend read. ( )