Nearly two dozen Americans are already being held hostage in the Middle East when a young American woman and her son are abducted by a professional terrorist in a botched political kidnapping outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. President Paul Bernard’s attempts to effect the release of the hostages have so far been thwarted when four men disguised as waiters snatch him and his wife from a state dinner in the White House and hold them hostage in the President’s quarters. The leader of the kidnappers is the head of the most powerful Mafia family in the U.S., and the new American woman hostage is his only daughter. The President will not be released until the woman and her child are safely recovered. The President brings in the ruthless, ambitious head of the CIA who pools resources with the Mafia don in a worldwide campaign to force the hand of the terrorist. Adler delivers a gripping modern-day thriller about the ages-old dilemmas of vengeance and responsibility. — Publishers Weekly

When an aborted Middle East kidnapping attempt on the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State results in the abduction of an innocent American mother and child, an amazing scenario unfolds. Maria and Joey Michaels are the only daughter and grandson of American mafioso Salvatore Padronelli, who will stop at nothing to free his family. With U.S. President Paul Bernard pledged not to deal with terrorists, Padronelli resorts to holding the President and First Lady hostage in return for his loved ones. The irregular collaboration between the CIA and the Mafia becomes a race against time as the Americans employ unconventional and ruthless measures to end international terrorism. A fast-paced, entertaining, and well-written novel recommended for most public libraries. — Library Journal