SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON

Author: Kate Pepper ISBN: 0451215796 5/2005 SUSPENSE Publisher: SIGNET

On a day that seems perfectly ordinary, Alice Halpern waits for her best friend at the playground where they always meet with their children in their comfortable Brooklyn neighborhood. But when Lauren doesn't come, and then fails to pick her son up from school, a normal day turns into a nightmare—and Alice begins to realize that nothing will ever be ordinary again. The police desperately search for Lauren, who is nearly nine months pregnant. Alice, herself pregnant, realizes she's being followed and has the creeping fear that she and her unborn twins are in danger. As the investigation intensifies, Alice is shocked as her familiar world begins to unravel. And as new life grows within her, she must fight to save her family—and herself...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON is not a romance novel. What it is, is a tough and gripping mystery/suspense that will resonate with every mother. Sure, everyone else that reads it will enjoy the suspense and intrigue, but mothers will find it especially chilling. So-called happily married mothers and moms-to-be, in particular.

There is plenty of action, puzzling clues, and endless possibilities floating around the story to keep a reader interested without a romance. I admit, I had my suspicions of who committed the murder and even part of the why. I just never guessed how crazy the whole scheme would be. I don't think anyone else will figure all that craziness out either, which makes this a truly unique mystery.

My one problem? The ending. I am a (sappily enough) happily-ever-after kind of girl, and SEVEN MINUTES TO NOON leaves you hanging. However, in a way you can view that as good. Why? My imagination conjures up all kinds of later events that could possibly happen to the characters, and that is how I know a book is good. It makes you think those characters are real.