WOW! This book had me hooked from the very first page, and it never let go. The author does a wonderful job of showing the emotional impact of having to make hard choices for those you love, and how those choices can so quickly spiral out of control. The suspense was taut all the way through and every situation had me worried for the characters! I also loved that Wade and Fiona's relationship was depicted realistically and that every one of the characters had such distinct layers and growth throughout. Bravo to the author! I can't recommend Saving Myles enough.

Rarely do I find a book that literally keep me on edge. The book revolves around a teenage boy who has had drug problems and ends up being kidnapped in Mexico. To get him released, a drug cartel requires a lot of money from the parents and basically selling their souls to the cartel. The FBI and DEA get involved and you are never quite sure if they are the good guys. I finished the book in a day because I had to know how it ended. It was very very suspenseful!

A well written mystery about kidnapping, drugs and the survival of a family. The location of this novel is So. CA., and Baja CA (Mexico, areas I am very familiar with, as I lived in San Diego for 30+ years. Tijuana is a hot spot for trafficking drugs to the U.S. and also still known for being a very rough city. It got worse as the years passed.

Myles is a very troubled kid who is at odds with his parents. I was very upset with him many times and just wanted to "pop" him more than once. Worse yet is the absent dad, Wade, and his malleable mother, Fiona. Wade is a successful banker and Fiona runs a non-profit helping kids in Mexico. So, there's a double connection for the kidnappers. Wade and Fiona's bickering and arguing was so frustrating, and wasn't much help for Myles to understand the dangers they were in. Sending Myles to a "correctional facility" only reinforces more bad behavior but he games the system to get out and continues his bad behavior.
Buying drugs in TJ is so easy to do but one must be careful what else might happen. Had his parents told him the possible consequences of going to Mexico? Or the effects of using drugs? I feel for Myles as I think he basically is uneducated by his parents about these hazards.
The ending left me with more questions but can see a possible sequel to continue to follow this family. Thanks Carl Vonderau for a smooth and suspenseful read. Thanks Net Galley for the opportunity to read "Saving Myles."

3.5 stars.... Wow...! That was kind of a scary-real read! Very fast paced, vivid danger portrayed.... A real , 'I could see that happening' family drama.....which makes it all the scarier....could be reality for some people....?! (Be warned....this deals with drug use, buying/selling of drugs, bullying, torture, coercion, murder, drug cartels, kidnapping, money laundering.....seriously horrible scary stuff!) The author really wrote so well, describing the scene/situation.......that at some points, I purposely slowed down my reading of it, as I feared what was coming next! I've got to say 'that's pretty good writing'.....& maybe deserves more than 3.5 stars....? Pretty impressive to elicit that kind of real response in a reader! Yeah, I'd definitely check out more writing from Carl Vonderau.....
I received a complimentary e-ARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley in return for my reading it & offering my own fair & honest review.

Saving Myles is the story of a teenager who gets manipulated and makes a mistake that will shatter his life and change those of his parents forever. It involves the Mexican cartels, kidnapping, the FBI, and the DEA, has a lot of action, and in spite of crimes, it leaves an open possibility of a future for Myles' family.
I thank Mr. Vonderau, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wade and Fiona, worried parents of son Myles, who appears to have graduated from chronic marijuana use to OxyContin, decide to send Myles away to a "get clean/troubled teenager." school in the Utah wilderness. Myles finally returns, acting clean and sober with the emphasis on acting. Myles soon takes off to Tijuana with his girlfriend to buy drugs and ends up being kidnapped and held for a ransom his parents cannot pay.

And that's just the beginning...

The point of view shifts between Wade, Fiona, and Myles, which is a bit jarring at first but ends up coming together as the story progresses. While there are plenty of action scenes, there are chapters where the story stalls out with expository dialogue and a need to prove that the author has talked to * the FBI and other federal enforcement agencies. Giving Wade the same line of work as the author makes you wonder whether Vonderau is starring in his own work.

Vondereau writes a decent thriller, but this could have been improved with another round of editing, tightening up the story, and cleaning up some minor mistakes.

Three stars--recommended if you're a fan of the thriller genre.

How can a fictional story feel so real? "Saving Myles" is a gripping and alarming story about the how good intentions lead to dangerous outcomes. The characters are all lost in battles with themselves and other family members and don't recognize that they're being controlled by a ruthless antagonist until it's almost too late. It's a page turner with suspense, angst, and an ending that surprised me.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Myles is sent to a rehab facility to get help fir his addiction. When he comes home, the parents see some changes. When Myles goes on a trip, it becomes a families worst nightmare. This book delves into what a family goes through when a loved one is suffering from an addiction.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Not being able to load this book into my Kindle app I completely forgot about it until contacted by the publisher. I’m very pleased I was contacted ( it was only yesterday) as Saving Myles was a fast paced thriller that kept me engaged throughout. I found myself frustrated with the characters at times ( some things just seemed obvious to me) but that didn’t prevent me from reading the book to its conclusion.

This is a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first to the last page. It's told primarily from two points of view, teen-aged Myle's banker father, and his mother, who works for a non-profit. When Myles is kidnapped in Tijuana, both parents are terrified and guilt ridden, because Myles just returned from a tough-love drug rehab camp they forced him into. They are willing to do anything to rescue Myles, and don't hesitate to put it all on the line, their careers, home, savings, even their lives if it comes to that. Makes you stop to think what you would be willing to do if your child were held by ruthless criminals. Anything? Right?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

As a parent myself, I did connect with Wade & Fiona. As a parent, you do not want your kids to hurt/troubles, etc. Really all they could do was hope for the best because sometimes the best intentions simply aren't enough! Without spoilers, Miles run off to Mexico and what should of been a happy time, descent into chaos.

I enjoyed how the author masterfully played on the emotions of parents who are frantic to save their son, justify the unscrupulous things they had to do to save him! I highly recommend reading this one!!! I rate it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

At the beginning of this thriller we meet well-meaning parents, Wade and Fiona Bosworth. They have de ided to send their sixteen-year-old son away to an expensive rehab camp. Their son is out of control. He both takes and deals drugs. .The guilt over doing this splits them up.

After returning to them at age 18, their son Myles gets kidnapped. Luckily, Fiona works for powerful people with leverage. At a bank. So that's all right.

This is just the start. Fiona and Wade are to find out that favours of this magnitude come with Faustian strings attached, and it is possible that each is way over their heads.. The FBI hopes to get the kind of evidence that could put a stop to a drug cartel operating between the Mexican and US border. If their treachery is discovered, they know that this will mean certain death for the whole family.

There are hints about what may have made Myles go off the rails. The book is nuanced in that it shows what might make some individuals turn to crime.. There is certain a deep recognition of what it can mean to be beholden to the wrong people. It takes a long spoon to dip with the devil, especially if the devil in question appears on first blush to be an altruist.

Carl Vonderau's novel Saving Myles is a tense thriller that delves into family relationships and the lengths we are willing to go to for the people we love. Wade and Fiona Bosworth believe they have done everything they can to keep their son Myles from ruining his life with drugs, alcohol, and bad choices. But when he is kidnapped, they are forced to examine not only their basic moral principles but also the consequences of every action they have taken. It's a suspenseful ride to the finish line, but even the ending doesn't truly resolve all the issues.

The novel is told primarily in declarative sentences, giving a staccato quality to the work. For readers who enjoy a more nuanced presentation, this style may grate. It does, however, work to build tension. The choices his characters make leave a reader gritting their teeth and wanting to scream, but somehow Vonderau pulls this off.

While reading this novel, you will find yourself mentally screaming at all the main characters because as the reader, you realize the consequences of the character's bone-headed decisions.

I loved being so involved with the plot that I really cared what happened to the characters!

Very entertaining novel - thank you, Mr. Vonderau!

Wade and Fiona will do anything to save their teenage son Myles who has been kidnapped in Mexico. Myles went there to buy drugs and now the kidnappers want them to sell everything they own and borrow money to get him back.
There were some good twists and turns in this book that kept me engaged with the story and had me on the edge of my seat.
I really enjoyed this story and I will be looking out for more work from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed opinions about this book. There are some things that were really good while some - seemed like a drag. The first half of the book was better than the second - Myles' kidnapping to ransom demands to Wade and Fiona being tricked by Andre - these things kept me guessing for more.

Then, the second half where the story fell flat. The pacing was slow, and the ending was nothing great - just expected stuff, no mind-blowing twists. As the story began and the scene was set, I kept my expectations high. But this story wasn't anything special - just the usual action-adventure story with a straightforward ending.

The story begins with Myles being dragged to the treatment center and then we have a time jump - I felt that this could have been better explained as a flashback (halfway through or when Myles' kidnapping took place). Also, some more background information on the main characters at the beginning would have been better.

Myles was an unlikable character. The whole story is set around his drug addiction and kidnapping. Somehow, his emotions were all over the place - and at the end, he tried to play a hero - which didn't make a lot of sense.

The story had potential but could have been improved with faster pacing. I loved the writing and the plot. But the story fell flat for me.

I don’t usually read books about drug cartels so this one was definitely different from what I usually read. That being said, I found that I really enjoyed it. The writing was brilliant and it truly kept me guessing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This story begins with Fiona and Wade making the difficult decision to send their son, Myles, to a rehab facility in another state due to drug use. 16 months later Myles is kidnapped in Mexico while trying to buy drugs. Fiona and Wade have to get their son home safe and they end up somewhat unknowingly working for the drug cartel in exchange for their son's safe return.
I liked the premise of the story with the drug cartel and the twists that were revealed throughout the story. Unfortunately I didn't really connect to any of the characters. Maybe due to lack of backstory for them? I didn't know enough about any of the 3 main characters to really root for them if that makes sense. I also would have liked a little more information about Andre and Carmella. I felt like the relationship between Myles and Sofia seemed very rushed and I would have liked more about them and their interactions.
Almost everything happens in the 1st 35% of the book and the story slowed down quite a bit. It picked back up around 80% and ended as expected.
Overall just an ok read for me.

Soon after coming home from a treatment center Myles sneaks off to Tijuana to buy drugs and is kidnapped. When the ransom call comes and the FBI can’t help, Fiona accepts help from Andre, a shady character she works for at the charity. Wade is leery of Andre but he swallows is doubts to get his son home. But now the family is enmeshed with the drug lords and money laundering enterprises... indebted to a Mexican cartel can have deadly consequences....

From the opening word I knew I would love this story. What a treat it turned out to be. This well- drawn drama is vivid, realistic and most of all tense. It explores the feelings of parents and how far they are willing to go to safe their children. Myles parents are Fiona and Wade, they beautifully express their fear and anxiety while dealing with hit men, suspicious deaths, informants and the inability of the FBI to help them. The pacing is fast and furious and so intense it is hard to put this book aside for another time. It wouldn’t be a good family drama without a boyfriend and a girlfriend to spice the experience, we also have that. In the mix add multiple murders and the result is one of those riveting and compelling novels.

“Saving Myles” gives you one of those emotional journeys hard to put down. Well-said and well-done.