Books I've Read: Disappeared

There were things I liked about this book, and things I didn't.  It was fast-paced and full of mystery, but even so, I wasn't as engaged with the story as I really wanted to be.  Despite the high stakes and tight timeline, the book lacked tension and I wasn't compelled to turn every page to find out what happened next.

Partly this is because there are two protagonists, a brother and sister.  The book opens with Sara's story, but in reality, her brother Emiliano has the more interesting plot-line and character development.  Sara felt like a very under-developed character with little backstory.  She was just a good girl, and good just isn't that interesting.

Emiliano on the other hand, isn't that good.  He's walking in kind of a gray area where he's doing bad things for good reasons.  That kind of dichotomy always makes for compelling characters.

The premise is exciting, yet the promised tension never really arrived.  Even the scenes in which Sara and Emiliano's lives are apparently at stake lack excitement or any real sense of urgency.  They seem to solve every problem very easily, and escape danger without much difficulty.

And as for the ending...  Well, let's not even go there.

I was a little disappointed in this book.  While set in Mexico, I didn't really get any real sense of the city or the culture.  And the thriller ellements just weren't as thrilling as they could easily have been.  So while it's not a bad read, it certainly wouldn't be top of my reccommend-list.

But that's just my opinion.  Here's the blurb:

Four months ago: Sara Zapata’s best friend disappeared, kidnapped by the web of criminals who terrorize Juàrez.

Four weeks ago: Her brother, Emiliano, fell in love with Perla Rubi, a girl whose family is as rich as her name.

Four hours ago: Sara received a death threat…and her first clue her friend’s location.

Four minutes ago: Emiliano was offered a way into Perla Rubi’s world—if he betrays his own.

In the next four days, Sara and Emiliano will each face impossible choices, between life and justice, friends and family, truth and love. But when the criminals come after Sara, only one path remains for both the siblings: the way across the desert to the United States.