Frantic. Katherine Howell

Frantic
Katherine Howell
Published: Pan Macmillan 2007
Format: Paperback (large)
Pages: 282
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Source: Public Library

In one terrible moment, paramedic Sophie Phillips’ life is ripped apart – her police officer husband, Chris, is shot on their doorstep and their ten-month-old son, Lachlan, is abducted from his bed. Suspicion surrounds Chris as he is tainted with police corruption, but Sophie believes the attack is much more personal – and the perpetrator far more dangerous...

While Chris is in hospital and the police, led by Detective Ella Marconi, mobilise to find their colleague's child, Sophie's desperation compels her to search for Lachlan herself. She enlists her husband's partner, Angus Arendson, in the hunt for her son, but will the history they share prove harmful to Sophie's ability to complete her mission?<

And could one dangerous decision cause Sophie to ultimately lose everything important in her life?

This book was definitely Frantic! From the get go it was full of action and my head was whirling with all the possible links and who were the baddies and who were the goodies!  While this is the story of Sophie and her husband Chris,  this book is the beginning of a series in which Detective Ella Marconi is the returning character in each.  Okay I have sneak peeped at some of the blurbs of the rest of the books in the series, to get some idea of how she might develop. I'm hooked.

Sophie is a paramedic and really caring and compassionate, I would be a patient in her ambulance with absolute trust.  However she is a mother too, and will do anything to get her son back when he goes missing.  I mean anything! Her husband Chris is being secretive and their relationship is going through a bit of a rough patch. 

There are  a wealth of other characters both police and medical.  Enough to cloud my being able to pick out how things might be related and who was involved in murder and baby snatching.  I did like Ella Marconi - a woman in her early forties, from the brief description she is nothing remarkable to look at.  She has been given a raw deal by the police higher ups and she is keen to get her teeth into this intriguing case she has been invited into.  I look forward to seeing how her life develops over the series.

This was a very well written book, the details are very realistic, as Katherine Howell was a paramedic for fifteen years, she is able to capture the life of paramedics and police working together wonderfully well.  The book is set in Sydney and I enjoyed that, I have only spent a week there, so I don't have a lot of knowledge of the place, but I could bring to mind some of the places which added to the enjoyment of the book for me.

Detective Ella Marconi series 

1. Frantic

2. The Darkest Hour

3. Cold Justice

4. Violent Exposure

5. Silent Fear

6 Web of Deceit

7. Deserving Death