Amber Alert

by Kiki Swinson

An explosive portrait of Dirty South revenge, triple-dealing, and crimes of passion as a suburban mom’s high-end criminal past comes back to haunt her, endangering her children—and propelling her into a high-stakes game she remembers all too well . . .Gone without a trace . . . Once the most cunning luxury car thief in the game, Ava Frost gladly gave it all up to become the wife of a successful Norfolk, Virginia, businessman, and raise their two children in better circumstances than she ever knew. But when the children are abducted—and held for a two-million-dollar ransom—Ava is stunned to discover her husband's bad deals have drained their fortune. Determined, she pursues her best, and toughest, she asks her ex-boyfriend, the mastermind behind the South's biggest car theft ring, for the money. But nothing ever comes for free, and Nick has a small request . . .Racing against the clock . . . Soon Ava is targeting one-of-a-kind cars that must be stolen within impossibly short timeframes. The excitement of the hunt and Ava’s vulnerability is reigniting dangerous heat between her and Nick—just as she’s finding out her husband’s betrayal runs deeper and more lethal than she ever expected  . . .Running out of time . . . Now with one heist gone very wrong and the police closing in, Ava’s down to her final chance to keep her bargain with Nick. But with hidden agendas and secret obsessions in play, will even her most skilled moves succeed in bringing her children home—or destroy everything she's fighting to save?

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 26, 2024

About the author

Kiki Swinson was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia. She discovered her flair for writing after completing her first novel, Mad Shambles, while serving a five-year sentence at a federal prison.
After being released in December 1996, Kiki later went on to self-publish Mad Shambles. Her passion for writing didn't stop there. Writing feverishly into the wee hours of the night, she completed her second novel, Wifey, which was published by Melodrama Publishing. After the success of Wifey, Kiki penned the sequels I'm Still Wifey and Life After Wifey, as well as The Candy Shop and A Sticky Situation.

Reviews

[Casey Weltner · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF for me, I made it about 40 pages in and couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sure the plot probably gets better but the dialogue and structure wasn’t for me.

[OutlawPoet]

DNF @ 16% because it was really bad. I mean REALLY bad.

[Eros Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

What won’t a mother do to get her kids back?
This was an easy, fast paced read that felt like a Tubi movie.

-kidnapped children
-infidelity and secrets
-high stakes crime
-heavy drama
-messy relationship dynamics
-steady pacing
-predictably satisfying
-3/10 audiobook (one narrator. poor job at voicing male MCs. the accent for the Mexican character was terrible)
-multiple POVs
-a solid novel for beginner thriller readers

Was this the best thriller I’ve ever read? No.
But, I do want to read the second book in this duology and other books from Kiki Swinson’s catalog.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amber Alert had an interesting plot I was very curious to find out more about. Ava & Kevin Frost are married and while she’s a stay at home mom of two kids he’s a businessman always on the move. On a “business trip” Kevin finds out his kids were kidnapped and Ava commends to do anything to get them back including breaking the law. I have to admit that the FMC & MMC are so unlikeable in this book, but I liked the chapters with the kids yet they were brief. The story was interesting but there was hardly any character development at all. Also very repetitive throughout the entire book & not as much action because of all the characters inner thoughts or dialogue back and forth to each other. It really picked up about 70% in and things really got crazy. I liked that the author threw in curve balls to keep you guessing on who took the kids & what was going to happen next. I’ve read other work from this author years ago so it was nice to see a thriller from her. Grateful for this complimentary copy for an exchange of my honest review.

[Shannon Rickert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give it 3 stars but come on, I seriously can do without the language. It really just throws me off the book. It was a good book for what the subject was, but I can do without the N word and the F work constantly being thrown around. I really like this author but really don't want to have to keep reading that language.

[Jasmine Andras · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE ITTTT omgg. While I was reading it I was thinking wow this book isnt that good but something about it kept me hooked. Then I read the ending and IM WAITING FOR HUNTING AVA TO COME OUT IMMEDIATELY!!! Ava better be the main character because everyone knows the main character never dies.

Kevin was such a good character until what he did at the end like bro… why. Honestly, who kidnapped the kids kept me guessing. I knew it was between Nick and Kevin. I was leaning towards Kevin based on the beginning but I didn’t completely realize it was Nick until the end.

The pain i felt when Nick died… 😔💔🕊️ fly high angel

PLEASE RELEASE HUNTING AVA IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS SEPTEMBER ARRIVES OR MAYBE EVEN EARLIER LIKE AUGUST OR JULY!!!! IM INVESTEDDDDDD I WANT MORE! IM GONNA BINGE ALL OF HER BOOKS UNTIL IT COMES OUT

I wasnt that into reading anymore and this was my first read after a year AND DID NOT DISSAPOINTT! KIKI’S WRITING STYLE IS ON POINTTT I LOVE ITTTTT

[Alee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This high-octane thriller offers an intriguing premise: a reformed car thief forced back into the game to save her kidnapped children. Ava Frost is a compelling lead—tough, resourceful, and caught between loyalty and survival. The fast-paced action and tension-filled heists keep things moving, and the rekindled chemistry with her ex adds some heat.

However, the plot sometimes leans too heavily on coincidence, and character motivations—especially Ava’s husband’s—feel underdeveloped. While entertaining, the story doesn’t quite hit the emotional or narrative depth it aims for.

A fun, fast read—but not without bumps in the road.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Without a Trace is an understatement! Ava ran away from her dangerous past to live with her kids in the suburbs, until the unthinkable happened. Not only did that happen, she also discovered that the suburbs aren’t as safe as she thought. This book proves that desperation can leave you in a terrible place.

This book was full of action and fast-paced. It was an amazing read and the author did an awesome job of making the plot unpredictable. Not having any idea what was going to happen next was the best part of the story. I recommend this book to those who like to be on the edge of their seat.

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a few of Kiki Swinson books in the past. This book was about 2 kids getting kidnapped for ransom. Ava loved her kids and would do anything to get them back. Her past comes back to haunt her and she is forced to make some tough choices. Her husband Kevin wasn’t worth much and really was just in the way. It was a quick read but didn’t really engross me. The storyline was a bit weak and I already knew who kidnapped the kids as it wasn’t hard to figure out. The plot was chunky & just didn’t mesh well.The ending left me mad though. Dirty move.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading Kiki Swinson books for a while.
They've been hit or miss from time to time. But I'm going to stand beside her.
Ava's kids have been kidnapped. Her husband Kevin is cheating with a whole baby on the side and she has to raise 2 million dollars to get them back.
I have a few issues. But, mostly Ava flipping out every two minutes. Concentrate on your kids and getting them back Ava.
There's no cohesion either. It's not story telling as much as it's just things happening.
I see there's a sequel. I might take a peek.
2.5 stars

[Katherina Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Farfetched. The dialogue was stereotypical of "gangsta" with people slinging the "N" word around. It was quick moving, full of action. It was true to the description given but still, the content was unexpected. I think it gave me culture shock. Thank you to NetGalley and Dafina for the digital ARC. This opinion is my own.

[Bailey Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

had me hooked from the first page read in one sitting such a good book. very mysterious and intriguing, made me want to know what was gonna happen with every page. The ending was surprising and i did not expect it whatsoever 10/10 read, would recommend.

[Serafina G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got 5 short chapters in before I couldn't take the typos, and spelling and grammatical errors anymore. If Ms. Swinson has an editor, they did her dirty.
Would have loved to read it in its proper form.

[lachelle jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good page turner can't wait to read next installment when it comes out.

[Sue Brader · Rating 1 out of 5]

A ridiculous book. All over the place

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the story itself
-1 stars for the narrator. Ugh I pushed through her loud swallowing and background noise just to finish it.

[Shira Coker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book it kept my attention and I had about 4 people that I thought was very suspicious. I’m ready for a part 2 so overall a good quick and easy read.

[Gabby Penn Farmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book of the month: Not Your Average Urban Fiction book club at the Southfield Library.

[Darian Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no clue who kidnapped the kids through the whole book until the very end

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like a single adult. Except Paulina, Paulina was okay. It was enough to bridge the gap between holds but I don't think I would recommend it.

[Jessica Merritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a good mystery this isn't it. This book clearly lays out what happened and who did it, reading it just helps you understand why.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spent way too much time on thed cheating and baby mama drama. I was expecting more action.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read from beginning until the end. Nothing in life is free but some things are priced much higher than we may want to pay. Highly recommended


Thank you to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest review

[Adrienne H · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I think I got to chapter 3. It’s like reading a Nollywood Tubi movie. I don’t remember KiKi Swinson being a bad writer so I’m not sure what happened with this book