This Time You Lose

by Chris Stralyn

What would you do if street thugs invaded your home? What if you’re a daycare provider, caring for a dozen children at the time? Lisa Kaamp, a most unlikely heroine, faces just such a nightmare in This Time You Lose, the suspense driven story of one woman’s struggle to survive when she and the children she cares for become victims of a home invasion gone terribly wrong. Lisa Kaamp operates a small childcare business out of her home in Nogeksum, Michigan. Highly respected and known for going the extra mile for her daycare kids, she thinks she’s handled every daycare emergency possible. But nothing prepares her for the horror she now faces. Lisa finds herself bound and gagged, four strange men in her home, and the daycare children held hostage in the next room. Terrorized by her captors as the authorities work to meet the ransom deadline, she tries negotiating with the men for the release of the children, but soon realizes they have no intention of letting anyone go. With the deadline approaching, Lisa must do the unimaginable to protect the children and get everyone out alive. In 2008 This Time You Lose was named a finalist in the TNBW Strongest Start Novel Competition. Four months later it earned the distinction of being a TNBW Readers Choice Top Ten Novel, and has remained on the Top Ten list ever since.

Genres: Thriller, Horror, Crime, Suspense, Mystery, Drama, Mystery Thriller

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Chris Stralyn never intended to be a writer. Short-order cook, security guard, safety officer, childcare provider, and teacher were all titles she'd worn - but never writer. Then she entered an essay contest for "The Worst Vacation Ever" and won.

Writing became her new hobby, and soon she had several articles in print with local publications. This was followed by a short story, The Khaki Pants, which was published by RDR Publishing in an anthology that went on to sell over a million copies.

A suspense thriller was her next undertaking, and in 2008 This Time You Lose was named a finalist in the TNBW Strongest Start Novel Competition. Four months later it earned the distinction of being a TNBW Readers Choice Top Ten Novel, and has remained on the Top Ten list ever since.

Chris Stralyn continues to put pen to paper in her endeavor to appease the Muse within. She lives in Michigan with her husband and family.

Reviews

[Kami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This story takes off with a bang as you basically wake up alongside Lisa and are instantly thrust into her living nightmare. The tension is there throughout the entire book and it has the feel of watching some horrible hostage situation unfold on the news before your very eyes. This book actually gave me goosebumps at times! I was definitely on the edge of my seat, biting my finger nails. I admit I even had to walk away from it a couple of times because it got so uncomfortable as I felt the intensity of the situation these people were going through. I'm a little embarrassed to say I think I even squeaked at a few scenes where I wasn't sure how a tense situation was going to play out. The story was definitely unpredictable. Nicely done Chris Stralyn! Another thing I loved about this book was Lisa herself. What a tough cookie! She easily ranks high on my 'Bad-ass Heroine' list. I could only hope and pray that I'd have half the courage and cojones this woman possessed in time of true crisis.

4.5 stars. Would definitely read more by this author.

[Tina Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This Time You Lose" by Chris Stralyn is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time, both in concept and in plot. Imagine you spend a night living out your worst nightmare when four men invade your home, do the unthinkable to you, and have no plans to leave. Then imagine you wake up the next morning to find that the situation has actually gotten worse.

That's what happened to Lisa when her husband and son go out of town. She wakes up after a night of torture to find that the four men are still there, in the home where she runs her daycare center, and they've made hostages out of the children and their parents. These drugged out criminals don't care what they have to do or who gets hurt, they just want ransom money. Lisa woke up a bloody, battered mess, then she and the four parents have their hands tied behind their backs, helpless as Tito, the ringleader, brandishes a gun in their faces and drags children around by their hair. He's promised to shoot the kids if any of adults try anything, and they all know he means it.

The hostages get even worse treatment when police surround the house.

OMG, what would you do in that situation? Faced with the impossible while desperately trying to keep the children she loves safe, will Lisa find a way to get everyone out, or die along with them? You'll HAVE to read the book to find out.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt as if I'd held my breath while reading this story until the very end - phew - not being sure what was going to happen next. It was certainly fast-paced, filled to the brim with action and extremely well-written. I also thought it was a wonderful exploration of what constitutes as evil - and Lisa found it in spades.

That's all I will say about the plot, I don't give spoilers, but if you like suspense and to sprint along with the characters at a an amazing pace, then you'll love this tale of right and wrong and how to be strong in the face of such wickedness.

Recommended.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great psychological thriller - Lisa, who runs a daycare for neighbouring children, wakes to find herself tied up and gagged, imprisoned by four men. As her 'charges' arrive with their parents, children and adults are also taken hostage, leading to a stand-off with the police over a ransom. In her house, Lisa has to try to protect the children and the other parents from their captors, one in particular who seems to loathe Lisa and takes pleasure in making things difficult. A tense rollercoaster of a story, well-written with good characters - 8.5/10.

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire book except for the epilogue takes place in one day. But what a day! The reader is catapulted into a dangerous hostage situation and feels the fear and the suspense, wondering how this can possibly end any way but tragically. The bad guys talk like bad guys, but the profanity was integral to the characters and not used frivolously.

[Bonnie Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not stop reading this book. I read it in one day!! The suspense just kept going on and on and building and building...Could not stop until I reached the end so I could catch my breath!

[Valerie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this and thought it was a cracking read! straight into the action from page one, that's the sort of book I like!

[torque · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh. Not for me. I liked how it began, that was it. It was free.

[Sam Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also published in my blog below:
http://bookunderthesun.blogspot.sg/20...
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Note: This is a book review based on a free copy from the author. Many thanks go to the author for this generosity.

There aren't many thrillers which I enjoyed, and Stralyn's This Time You Lose immediately becomes one of them when I started reading it. The sense of danger exuding from the pages are more real than Dan Brown's or Michael Crichton's, for what is recounted within the story is something that could happen any day, on anyone.

One-liner intro: A superbly gripping and adrenaline-pumping chronicle of how one ordinary woman faced down dangerous thugs to protect the people around her.

Best part: A fiction that is more real than most thrillers; adrenaline-pumping with a real threat of death around every corner of the story.

Not-so-best part: There were hardly any references to the title until the end, but I am not complaining; too many characters, and not everyone were given a memorable appearance or involvement.

The Lady and the Man

Forget about action movies portraying people with no training but could dodge bullets and gun down the enemy gangs in one fell swoop. Those are for entertainment. This is not. This Time You Lose is not epic, the way most thrillers nowadays are. Nor is it fantasizing about a military trained hero to the rescue, for there were none that could help.

Lisa Kaamp ran a childcare center in the town, considered within the neighborhood to be one of the best. To her, thinking about and preparing for any emergencies that may fall on the center was a concern she took seriously, and she thought she had every angle covered. No plan was perfect though, so when thugs invaded the childcare center and held everyone hostage, including both the parents and children, she knew that her worst nightmare had came true.

The police forces had come to the rescue, but they dare not break into the center with strong arm tactics, for the head of the thugs, Tito, was ruthless. With a warped will to win at any cost, he met his match in Lisa, who pit against him at every opportunity available. To Tito, this hostage was a game which he intended to be the winner, getting what he want and to escape. And Lisa realized that Tito would kill all hostages, including the children, just to be that winner. With the police helplessly clueless about Tito's ruthlessness, Lisa had to do everything she could to win this game, even if she had to lose her life.

To Win or to Lose

Lisa represented the motherly love and need to protect against any incoming danger. For her to sacrifice herself for kids who weren't her own required more than just courage, it required the will to do so as well. The character was amplified more so when among all those imprisoned, she alone was singled out as the main focus of Tito's mad wrath.

Her will to win against the antagonist stemmed from her need to protect the others from elements of danger, but Tito's need to win was a reflection of a being's ruthlessness just to sate his appetite. His behavior may be exaggerated for his purpose within the story, but similar behavior was obvious in certain businessmen's greed to achieve his selfish goal and to sate his selfish desires.

While both the protagonist and antagonist tried their best to win over the other in a battle of wit and will, the other characters were there to make the situation more intense. The characters were too numerous to follow up with each of their behavior, but everyone contributed to the combined resource to keep the children safe, including the kids themselves, augmenting the story to a more heart-seizing game of cat and mouse. Certain characters were more memorable than most, and maybe the plot need not that many dramatis personae in the first place.

The Will to Win

The plot of This Time You Lose was actually quite straightforward, without twist and turn of any sort except the flashback method which revealed part of the thug's past and how they reached this point in time. By itself, the flashbacks were mere interludes to draw focus away from the hostages and to try to humanize the thugs.

But Lisa's will to win against all odds and against Tito's brutality made the story more heart-griping. Reinforcing the story was a sense of dread as lives, both the parents' and the kids', were at stake, that even the kids could be killed at any turn of the event.

Even the protagonist thought that Tito would not be as insanely cruel as that, but she found out along with the readers that madness had no bounds, that Tito would willingly sacrifice lives just so that his demands were met and to make sure that he was the winner at the end. And when that realization struck home, it was the moment when the readers really understood how dreadful it was for real-life hostages, empathizing along with the victims of the story.

This Time Who Lost?

It was obvious at the end of the story how Stralyn's This Time You Lose was voted TNBW Readers Choice Top Ten Novel. The intense and dread of the storyline was easily empathized by the reader, drawing them along the near emotional breakdown of the victims, as well as the sense of urgency to rescue and be rescued. This is definitely a good read for any fans of thrillers.

[MobileMinx · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I won this book from a Bookplex giveaway **

This Time You Lose is the perfect choice for a suspense seeker. If you want to have a tense, tight and terror filled read from practically the first page to the last, you've found the right book.

The story relates the occurrences, over a day, in the life of child care provider Lisa Kaamp. She is accompanied by many supporting characters and one seriously sadistic antagonist. It is difficult to discuss my experience of this story without revealing key elements of the plot. Suffice it to say, there is a conflict that consumes the entire novel and is resolved very quickly at the end.

Herein, for me, lies the problem. The writing is done in real-time and presents an hour-by-hour capture of the action. However, it was sometimes unclear what the chronology was as events described occurred concurrently. The book would be well suited to a time stamp for each chapter, so that the reader can keep the timeline straight. I also found the unanswered question, which is threaded throughout, an unsettling feature. It's not clear if it is intentional, but the reader never knows why TITO, the depraved aggressor, targets Lisa so vehemently. I was left to wonder and this was not good when there was so much that transpired that seemed inexplicably evil. I don't mind some uncertainty, but this seemed to be an excessive amount and it detracted from my enjoyment of the story. As the novel reaches its climax, we have to hold our breath as we wait to find out how the situation is resolved. This state of protracted agitation is precisely the condition I was in for the whole book. It's the reason that I didn't award five stars.

Chris Stralyn is a very good writer. She uses language that is real, raw and appropriate for the character. She reveals dimensions of their personality through thought insights and memory recollections. Aspects of all ring true and the reader can find areas of relateability. The main characters are equally determined, though their goals are at odds. She writes TITO in such a way that one feels no mercy towards him. The insertion of her daycare charges and their families only layer the sensation assault, by displaying heroics and humanity simultaneously. The story is told through Lisa and her thoughts foreshadow as well as retell. Her singular focus drives the story and mirrors the accompanying police action. One wonders if they too would be able to withstand the travesties brought upon her and similarly survive.

Though we get to know the characters, the lack of exposition leaves the understanding to be situational. It would have been helpful to have more background. The story could have been a richer read and less break neck in its pacing. Though it would have made it a longer book, with those additions, we'd care about the characters because we know them and not because we know right from wrong.

This Time You Lose is a worthy effort and a worthwhile read. I would read this author again and recommend that thrill trackers find their way to this book.

[Denise DeSio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daycare owner, Lisa, wakes up in her bed to discover that she’s been the victim of a home invasion the night before, and the four men who attacked her are still downstairs – along with a dozen children and the parents who unwittingly delivered themselves into the hands of the thugs as they tried to drop off their little darlings to Lisa.

I read that “This Time You Lose” was named a finalist in the TNBW Strongest Start Novel Competition and I say, “Well earned,” but after the story cycled through a number of failed escape attempts by the indestructible heroine, resulting in inevitable violent retaliation at the hands of Tito, the super mean ringleader, I found myself getting a little antsy.

Don’t get me wrong. I was rooting for Lisa the whole way, and the plot was believable, but maybe too believable. It seems that in the interest of conveying the most horrific and realistic hostage situation possible, Stralyn gives us few surprises. I would have liked to see more character development, plot twists, and mind games to make the story more of a psychological thriller. I found myself wishing for a really interesting subplot to emerge, like an illicit affair between Lisa and one of the parents trapped in the house with her, or anything to break up the escape suspense.

In the absence of a subplot, Stralyn made the right decision to keep the book short. That said, I’d read it again if the author decided to expand the book and add the aforementioned elements in a future edition. It was pretty well written on a 5.5 grade reading level according to http://www.readability-score.com/ so it’s a quick read, accessible to the average reader.

I gave this book 3 1/2 stars and rounded up to 4 on Stralyn's potential. I'd be interested to follow the growth of this author.

[April Plummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of authors published the traditional way through publishing houses seem to believe that us self-publishers are somehow less than them. In some cases, they're right. But it goes both ways.

In this case, Chris Stralyn is far beyond many big-name authors.

Lisa, a well-respected and well-loved daycare provider, finally gets a weekend alone when her husband, a police officer, takes their son fishing. She plans to catch up on her reading and enjoy the quiet, but plans change when a gang of men, led by a man who calls himself Tito, break into her house.

They assume the house will be empty, but they find Lisa there alone. High and looking for a good time, the men take advantage of Lisa, tie her up, and on Monday morning, stuff Lisa into the playroom with the children and parents for whom she provides care. Lisa struggles to save her own life as well as those of the children while the young men arm themselves with her husband's guns and threaten to kill their hostages if they don't receive the $4 million they demand.

Stralyn keeps the reader's interest from page one. Though the story only spans a couple days, she not only keeps your heart thumping, but she also invites you inside the characters' minds. Your heart aches for the children as they fight their fear with the strength of the innocent. You even feel sympathy for Tito's younger brother Jimmy as Stralyn unravels the mystery of younger man's loyalty.

Many times, I find myself skimming the last pages of a thriller. For some reason, once I know what's going to happen and that everyone is going to be okay, I'm anxious to finish so I can start a new book.

Not so with This Time You Lose.

Read this book. You won't regret it!

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rarely do I give out five stars to a book. For me four usually signifies it was a favorite. However, This Time You Lose definitely deserves top marks. I could not stop reading. From the first page I was hooked.

It has everything an avid thriller fan may want in a book: tension, suspense, twists and a fast pace. The characters were believable, quirks and all. I could easily envision the scenes. The bad guys ranged from pure evil who you just wished would die quickly to ones who got caught up with the wrong crowd. Yes, they were bad, but you could almost relate with them.

There were only two things that slightly bothered me in the story. First, it is not explained how the bad guy in the story got hold of the cop's gun. Are we to assume that a veteran police officer would leave his service pistol unlocked in their house, which doubles as a daycare center? Perhaps it was locked up, but if so how did the home invader find it? I know the story talks about laws allowing the weapon to be kept in the house, but I still would think it would be in a gun safe.

The second thing only had to do with ebook formatting. The page numbers did not match between the book and what my ereader said. On average each page of the book was 3 pages in the ebook.

If you are looking for a great thriller, This Time You Lose is the one to pick.

[Silverana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Keeps you wondering how in the world hostages can save themselves from their kidnappers and how exactly the police can make a move without threatening the lives of the innocent. I loved how the beginning of the book isn't wasted on long introductions of characters, we start out with the main plot itself. Through short paragraphs we get a point of view of a few of the hostages and how they come to be at the day care. The heroine is amazing. Although she is known to be quiet and shy, her love for children brings out a braveness and quick thinking that very few people could reach. So much suspense, especially near the middle and the end of the book where everything starts happening at a much faster pace, really giving the feel that you are there and anxiously waiting to see how everything ends. Loved how the heroine finally gets the opportunity to freely provoke the villain! The book was short and to the point. Very nicely done.

And I was lucky enough to get this with a discount! Thank you!

[Pixip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book popped up on my recommended reads on amazon and I didn't really expect anything of it so thought i'll read the sample and see what it's like. OMG best decision i've made in ages once i started reading that sample i bought the book straight away. I haven't read a crime thriller so well written in a long time. To be honest I had actually got a little bored of the genre but this book yanked me back in so fast I never found my feet. It was fast paced but didn't scrimp on details once, I constantly felt like I was right there with them all. I quite liked the fact she didn't try to hide from the violence but instead embraced it as being part of the genre. I find that too many authors find it harder to accept that violence is a part of the crime thriller world and it's ok too write about it. I read this book in a day and literally could not put it down. Anyone who is unsure read it and you will absolutely love it.

[Patricia Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting page turner. Although from the beginning you expect there to be some mystery involved, in reality, this is a story of survival. The characters (adults and children) are incredibly well written. The tension of the hostage situation is non-stop and there were many times when I thought things were going to go one way and went another. There were no slow sections to this book, and as it's a little on the short side, I read it over the course of only two days.

I am not a parent, or a caregiver, but I loved the strength of the parents and caregivers here. The bad guys were erratic, which for who they were was a good choice. A little misdirection at the end just ended up making the story even more satisfying. Strongly recommended reading.

[Suzanne Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story, which covers approximately 8 to 10 hours in real time, begins as Lisa Kaamp awakens to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the realization she is being held hostage by four strange men. As the horror from the night before comes into focus, Lisa struggles to free herself and soon learns that the children who attend her in-home daycare, along with several of the parents, are being held hostage as well.

This Time You Lose, by Chris Stralyn, is a well-written, fast-paced read that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time! Well done, Chris. This Time You Lose

[Jess Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can there be anything more terrifying than shooting awake in the dead of night to find a group of armed intruders in your home? Imagine then that you have a dozen children in the house along with you—children who have been entrusted to your care. This is precisely the nightmare Lisa Kaant is plunged into in this gripping debut.

This Time You Lose is a tension-filled novel packed with action and emotion, which had me biting my nails the whole way through. More than that, however, it’s the story of one remarkable young woman. With her ability to show both courage and compassion in the face of terrible danger, Lisa is a true heroine and she will stay with me for a long time.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written novel that kept my reading into the night. The characters were well written along with the story line. The situation to very well happen to anyone.


Lisa Kaamp runs a successful inviting day care center. All that changes one day when the kids, their parents and her are taken hostage in her home. The story is written around their nightmare and what they try to do to save themselves from the nightmare.

Chris Stralyn writes a very believeable story line and you will fall inlove with the main character Lisa. She pulls you in from page one and never lets you go. A great read for all those who love suspensefull books.

[Lisa Tortorello · Rating 4 out of 5]

From page one I was engrossed in the storyline in This Time You Lose! Imagine being awakened from a sound sleep to be eye to eye with not one but four intruders. After being attacked and brutalized it doesn't register until it's too late that the children in your at-home daycare have arrived. Now instead of a terrible home invasion, there's a hostage situation that is terribly out of hand!

Author Chris Stralyn does a great job making the reader feel as if he/she is right alongside Lisa as she struggles for her own survival and that of the children and families that she cares for everyday. A heart-pounding novel that will keep you riveted 'til the end!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty graphic, full of violence and menace but somehow still not that suspenseful. It was also pretty short. I did think Lisa was a bit too good to be true. I'm not sure many people would risk so much for other people's children - but what do I know, having never experienced anything like it. Oh sure, people can and do make snap decisions to try and rescue other but this was much more calculated.

Anyway, a pretty good story but I think the outcome was never in doubt. Apparently there will be a sequel. It might be good, or it might be more of the same forgone conclusion for the outcome. As I said, a pretty good story but not great.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent -- intense -- but excellent. From the first moment your heart is racing and you are wondering what will happen next. I think one of the things that makes it so compelling is that you can really picture it happening ... it is not so far fetched that you think, "well, this would never happen to me." Then you wonder, would I be as strong as Lisa was in the same situation. Bottom line, I read the book in two days ... would have read it in one if work demands had been different. If you like crime thrillers - this may be for you.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Time You Lose is an awesome thriller. I read it non-stop. It sure kept me on the edge of my seat. The whole story was very good. This book is well written. The sad truth behind this story is that it could happen. What would you do? Lisa is definitely a woman to learn from. She grew as the story unfolded. Her love for the kids and devotion were evident. I love the way she held her own and stood up for herself and the others. I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

[Spencerphil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fell in love with this book at first sight, BRILLANT cover art! I'm thinking of ordering 2 more (: before Christmas and I am now a fan of Strayln's novels. I truly hope theres more to come from this author! Even the website for This time you lose is amazing. I have to give a donation and a gift to Chris Stralyn.
Thank you

[Dick Whittington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the horrible cover, this book got good reviews. So I started reading it with high expectations. In my mind, it was just okay...but nothing great! The story was predictable. The dialogue pretty basic. The book was a short, easy and quick read. The lead characters (Lisa and Tito) were terrific...but the supporting cast didn't really add much...especially the adults.

[Cynthia Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book because it was free, and I was curious to try a new author. Wow! About sums it up. A page turning thriller that has the reader on the edge of their seat, eyes wide, heart pounding, as they can't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens. I will definitely read more books by this author.

[Ale · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no lengthy introductions in this book. I love that as soon as I started reading, the problem has arise and that I have to keep reading what happened that led to the situation. I personally like this book and this is different from the rest of the thriller books I have. I like how the writer decided to write this book the way it is. I definitely will read more from the author.

[Hyacinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pray this is truly fiction and not someone's reality! This book had me on pins and needles the whole time. I thought it was very well written
and maintained a level of suspense through out. Content very disturbing but a good book nonetheless.

[Lindabtx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good, quick read without a single boring paragraph. It was suspenseful with good character development. Sometimes it is nice to read a good story without several subplots that just confuse the main plot. I will look for future works from the author.

[Brittney G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. This story had me on edge waiting to see what would happen next. I admire the character Lisa, her strength is very admirable. No matter how much beatings she took, she kept right going. Not a lot of people have that strength, woman or man.