Ed McBain - Alice in Jeopardy

From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem that skillfully weaves together an elegant plot and compelling characters, once again.“I have your children. Don't call the police, or the'll die.” It's a nightmare no parent should ever endure. Especially Alice Glendenning, a South Florida real estate agent who hasn't managed to sell a single home—or collect any insurance money—after her husband's fatal boating accident. Her daughter and son's kidnappers demand $250,000, the exact amount she's supposed to receive from the insurance company. To complicate matters, her housekeeper has contacted the police—a glaring error in judgment that puts a spotlight on the crime, the children's lives at risk...and Alice in jeopardy. ) This is the story of six days in the life of Alice Glendenning, a thirty-four year widow who has tried to maintain a veneer of normalcy in her life since her husband Eddie disappeared nine months ago while alone in a small boat during rough weather off the coast of Florida. In order to support herself and her two children, Alice has taken a job as a real estate agent until Eddie is officially declared dead and she receives the proceeds of his double indemnity life insurance policy. While Alice is understandably still griefstricken over Eddie's death, she is attempting to move on with her life for the sake of the two kids, Ashley, her ten year old daughter, and Jamie, her eight year old son who has refused to speak since his father's death. Suddenly on Wednesday, May 12th, ALICE finds herself IN JEOPARDY when she is hit by a car driven by Jennifer Redding while she is crossing Founders Boulevard to have lunch after showing several homes to Reginald (Webb) Webster, a prospective client who she hopes will finally be the source of her first commissions since joining Lane Realty. After having her broken ankle put in a cast at the local emergency room, she returns home only to be greeted by her part-time housekeeper, Rosie Garrity, with the news that her kids were not on the school bus that usually brings them home. As Alice is trying to locate them, the telephone rings and a woman's voice says "I have your children. Don't call the police, or they'll die." Suddenly, it appears that ALICE's remaining hope for happiness in her future and perhaps even the children's lives are IN JEOPARDY. Since her husband Eddie's tragic death in a boating accident eight months ago, thirty-four-year-old Alice Glendenning has struggled to maintain a normal life for her two children, Ashley and Jamie. To help make ends meet while she waits for the insurance company to pay up, Alice takes a job as a real estate agent. The commissions have been nonexistent, but she does make a new friend, Charlie Hobbs, when she is sent in to try to buy his waterfront land for a developer. Things have been tough for Alice, but they quickly become a nightmare when Ashley and Jamie don't come home on the school bus one day, and Alice gets a phone call from a woman claiming to have her children. When the kidnapper calls again and asks for a ransom identical to the amount Alice is due from the insurance agency for Eddie's accident, Alice forgoes contacting the police and instead calls Charlie for help. But as all sorts of people scheme to get their hands on her money, Alice wonders whether anyone can be trusted in her fight for everything she holds dear. From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem. Ed McBain skillfully weaves together his elegant plot and compelling characters, once again. When her children are stolen by a kidnapper who demands her late husband's life insurance premiums in exchange for their return, widowed real estate agent Alice Glendenning turns for help to new friend Charlie Hobbs