Judy Goldschmidt

When housewife Frances Hannon is abducted and buried alive, detective Madeline Foster is brought in. With only 24 hours before Frances' oxygen runs out, Madeline pursues the trail laid by a killer calling himself Harry Houdini. After capturing him, Madeline brings Harry back to the police station, but is unable to get him to confess where Frances is buried. As time runs down, Harry gets inside the head of unstable, alcoholic Madeline.

The world of successful New York lawyer Frank Kramer unravels when his daughter, Nicole, is kidnapped. Her abductors, Matty and Ruby, send him on an exhausting odyssey crisscrossing New York City. Every time the phone rings, Frank is forced to comply with the kidnappers' increasingly outrageous demands. Twenty-four hours later, Frank has stolen a quarter of a million dollars from his office, been beaten up in Harlem, and is no closer to his daughter. He has no idea that the kidnappers want more than his money. They want Rachel.