Presumed Safe

When Safe Havens Turn Deadly... Detective Dana Blades is at a joyful turning point in his life. He's about to marry Clare, the love of his life. He welcomes her two young boys into his heart, and is ready to adopt them and create a true family. And that's why he is increasingly sensitive to the dark aspects of his current work, investigating cases of children missing from the Boston area. Someone is inexplicably kidnapping these children...to keep them safe. As Blades delves into the details of the children's lives, he finds that they have been taken from abusive parents and guardians. Blades knows that the system fails children in vulnerable circumstances-that abusive families are often given too many chances, with tragic results. He's frustrated by the pain and suffering inflicted on the most powerless and innocent citizens whom he has sworn to protect. However, he has also sworn to uphold the law, and when he finds the mastermind behind the kidnappings, he must struggle with a terrible decision: should he do the "right thing" as a police officer, or honor his ethics as a father who wants to see all children safe? Compelling, richly characterized, and thought-provoking, this superb sequel to Hurting Girls is a gripping crime thriller that will open your eyes to the realities of the dark underworld of children at the mercy of social service agencies.