Schmitt, the author of three cozy series under her Laura Childs pseudonym, tries her hand at a thriller with mixed results. Marjorie Sorenson, a human trafficker who kidnaps babies, specializes in creating reborn dolls, constructed to eerily resemble real infants. At a doll show at a Minnesota shopping mall, Marjorie's booth attracts Susan Darden, the affluent mother of a three-month-old girl, Elizabeth Ann. Marjorie and her creepy son, Ronnie, tail Susan home, and the pair abduct Elizabeth Ann after overpowering a babysitter. Plucky family liaison officer Afton Tangler assists the frantic Susan and her husband with their trauma as the search for the child continues. Meanwhile, Afton can't help noticing that the lead FBI agent in the case is "tall and lanky with steel gray hair and warm brown eyes the color of precious amber." The denouement is both predictable and less than plausible in this tale for readers who don't mind cartoonish villains and gratuitous injections of romance into a grim and disturbing plot line. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

When an infant is snatched during a home invasion in a wealthy Minneapolis neighborhood, Family Liaison Officer Afton Tangler is assigned to coordinate with the parents, Richard and Susan Darden. Luckily for Afton, who is angling for a transfer to the detective squad, Max Montgomery is heading up the MPD's arm of the investigation, and he allows Afton to tag along. Max and Afton hit the bricks to track down the suspicious reborn dolls craftswoman Susan encountered on the day of the kidnapping and dig into corporate-espionage accusations leveled at Richard. As investigators race to respond to any lead that could take them to the infant, the kidnapper moves forward with a plot to sell the Darden child and two others. Best-selling cozy author Laura Childs writes this thriller series as Gerry Schmitt (her real name) and creates an unforgettable, pathological character in interludes from the kidnapper's perspective. In comparison, Afton's character and the investigation itself pale, but thriller fans should still keep an eye on this promising new endeavor.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2016 Booklist