The Choice: The unputdownable new psychological crime thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of Seven Days

Matt Westbrook leaves his 3 small children in the car for a few minutes while he stops in a shop. They are ages 3, 5, and 7. With a virus that’s rampant, he does not want to possibly expose the children to the virus in the store. Matt’s wife, Annabelle, has asked him to pick up a few things for dinner. On his way out of the store, he sees that the car is gone. Then he gets a text telling him not to call call the police and that instructions will follow. Matt is a partner in a law firm and Annabelle is a writer.

Matt runs home and tells Annabelle what has happened. They call a couple siblings and a friend to come and help advise them what to do. The next text says this person doesn’t want money. Instead, they can have their children back and Annabelle will take their place. What does this person want with Annabelle?

This is one of the best edge-of-the-seat thrillers I have read in quite awhile. What an incredible imagination this author has. Without giving out any spoilers, suffice to say that you do not want to miss this book. Fabulously well done, Alex Lake.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Totally edge of your seat. Couldn't put it down. Awesome author!

Bought this to read on the beach while on vacation and usually I don’t ever finish a book but I finished this one within the week. Really good twist at the end, I thought I knew who done it but I was sooo wrong. Gave it to my 14 year old granddaughter to read and she’s loving it too.

Very good book. Enjoyed it thoroughly

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
"The Choice" by Alex Lake hooked me from page one and kept me gripped right until the very end.
I thought it was a very well written and original book. I found the
revelation to be shocking and the last few chapters of the book were really tense and exciting.
I will definitely be reading another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review. The Choice by Alex Lake, is a terrifying book, particularly for a parent. Imagine running into the store for just a minute and coming back out to find that not only is your car gone, but also your three children that you left inside of it. This is what happens to Matt Westbrook and when he gets a text saying that his children have been kidnapped, that is only the beginning. Matt is given the option of exchanging his children for his wife and this where the story gets really interesting. The book flips back and forth from the past to the present and is well written. It will keep your attention until the very last page as you try to guess who the kidnapper is. It is a quick read that you will enjoy. I recommend it.

This novel started brilliantly, with a bizarre kidnapping of three children when their dad Matt pops into the local shop. leaving them in the car outside. He and his wife, Annabelle, at home with a cold, are frantic. We jump back in time to hear how they met and to discover a couple of people who might have done it. You feel the tension when the kidnapper texts with his demands. Up to now, the writing, pacing and characters are good, on pointe and the book rates fours solid stars. After the ransom demand, the writing and plot lines deflate quickly, almost as if someone else wrote the second half. Once we know the kidnapper it gets even more difficult to take this seriously with the kidnappers ‘voice’ totally wrong for the story. The second half is a two so I’m awarding three, and that’s only as the beginning was good.

This book hooked me at the beginning and I could not put it down. In fact, I had to skip ahead in several places to find out what happened. I'm looking forward to reading other books by this author.

Matt Westbrook only turned his back for a moment. But when he looks around, his car has vanished with his three young children inside. Matt assumes it's a carjacking but shortly learns it's a kidnapping. If you want to see your children again, you will exchange them for your wife. Matt and his wife Annabelle are terrified. They can't involve the police, or their children will be killed. Which means they have to choose: Annabelle or their children.

Can you imagine your kids getting kidnapped, and the ransom was your spouse!? I wouldn’t want to be in Matt's shoes, that's for sure! I instantly got pulled into Matt's panic in the opening chapters. Once Annabelle joined the dialogue, I knew this couple was ride or die, even in dire circumstances. Annabelle comes off as a respectable mother who would do anything to save her children. Matt, even though he stupidly left his kids in the car, still embodied a great father and husband. You don't often see couples with a good moral compass in thrillers, so I highly appreciated that refreshing element.

Alex Lake cleverly introduced the past and present between interchanging POVs of Matt and Annabelle's blooming relationship. It was a heartwarming front row seat to their picturesque romance with a dash of secondary characters who were utterly looney. Once the plot remained in the present, that's when things took a turn. Halfway, I did have an inkling of where the story was going, but it still didn't take away from its suspenseful value.

Surprisingly, the voice of the detectives in charge of the kidnapping case didn't annoy me. I tend to shy away from police procedural novels since they are a bit boring to me. But I adored how Lake gave these detectives empathy! Ultimately, THE CHOICE wrapped up nicely, leaving me with a fulfilling feeling. I enjoyed this addictive, fast-paced ride, and I wouldn't want anyone to go through Matt and Annabelle's emotional rollercoaster.

Good book. Good price.