Sixteen-year-old Sara Jane Rispoli is on the run. The only daughter in an influential Chicago crime family, Sara Jane comes home one night to find that her beloved family has been kidnapped. Her father’s cryptic message before his disappearance helps Sara Jane find cash, a gun and a mysterious notebook. This notebook not only contains fascinating details about the history of Chicago’s organized crime, but information on how to access those connected to it. Unfortunately for Sara Jane, the people who kidnapped her family want that notebook and all the power it wields—and they’re coming for it. An amateur boxer, Sara Jane has the tools to defend herself against a masked, murdering thug and her traitorous uncle, never realizing that her greatest weapon might just be her inheritance—an innate ability far deadlier than a quick left hook.
Sara Jane Rispoli is a surprising protagonist. A trained and powerful fighter, she is conflicted about when and how to use the violence that comes naturally to her. Although disgusted with her family’s criminal history, Sara Jane has to employ unsavory tactics of her own to track them down. But ruthlessness can only help her so much, especially when a dear friend gets caught in the crossfire.
This debut novel is written like it’s ready for the movie screen, complete with nonstop action sequences, foul villains and a butt-kicking female lead out for vengeance. Be warned—this page-turner ends on a cliffhanger.
