Successful restauranteurs Jade and Cam Lasky have a shock when Jade is confronted at home by a masked intruder who promises not to harm the children if she forks over $734,296. Called at work, Cam will have a hard time delivering that bizarrely precise amount given their sliced-thin margins, while Jade gets a feeling that she knows the intruder. From the author of Dear Wife and Marriage Lies, both optioned for film; with a 100,000-copy paperback and 10,000-copy hardcover first printing.

This captivating thriller from Belle (Dear Wife) opens with celebrity chef Cam Lasky—Atlanta's much touted "steak king"—trying to explain to a TV reporter why he doesn't deserve to be called "the most hated man in America" because of certain accusations against him that arose following the home invasion several months earlier that involved his wife, Jade, and their two young children being taken hostage. Flash back to the fateful day. At work, Cam is dealing with suspicious insurance adjusters after a fire destroyed his popular signature restaurant. Jade's distraught call forces Cam to refocus his priorities—she and the children have been ambushed by a masked man hiding in their garage. The kidnapper knows details about their lives, including Cam's work schedule, and wants exactly $734,296. Raising the cash is a problem, because, unknown to Jade, Cam is deeply in debt. Cam wonders whether the fire was set by his loan shark or by a vengeful former employee. Several well-placed twists deliciously shake up the brisk plot, which smoothly moves among the viewpoints of Jade, Cam, and the kidnapper. Belle knows how to keep the pages turning. Agent: Nikki Terpilowski, Holloway Literary. (Dec.)