How Many Lives Can One Woman Save in This Charming Equestrian Thriller

Pressure Point by Betty Briggs

In Pressure Point (Sunrise Selections) by Betty Briggs, Stephanie receives a letter from her ultimate nemesis, who mocks her with the kidnapping of her future adoptive daughter and promises worse things that are yet to come. Sent on a spiraling chase for salvation, Stephanie’s not only haunted by what else she thinks Jessica might be capable of, but also by a series of dangers that arise back home in Montana.

Betty Briggs’ latest novel is sure to charm and entertain any lovers of suspense thrillers, suspenseful romances, and of course, readers of equestrian trope fiction. This fast-paced tale will keep readers guessing with its frequent shallow and tight turns — with hardly a straightaway in sight — all the way to the charming conclusion on the final page.

ALREADY AT A FULL GALLOP ON PAGE ONE

The story begins with a letter that Stephanie receives before the first page of the book, from her longtime nemesis, Jessica. In the letter, there’s a terrible revelation about a little girl named Zoey, who is also Stephanie’s son, Ryan’s, half-sister, and someone she was planning to adopt. Receiving the letter completely uproots Stephanie’s life and plans and puts her on an international trail to save the young girl’s life.

By the time we reach the first page, the story has already begun, with Stephanie and her fiancé, Colton, already well on their way to their first destination. A reader may feel overwhelmed at first by Stephanie’s stress, as she obsesses over the Mexican Cartel, drugs, and violence, while also ruminating over a letter that we have not yet been made privy to. This is a classic move that Betty Briggs has utilized and perfected in her writing, by throwing her readers into a fast-paced journey mid-motion — almost like throwing them onto the back of an energetic horse and sending it into a gallop before they have had the chance to strap in!

It’s a thrilling experience, and while Briggs clearly wants her readers to at first be left guessing and somewhat off their footing, the reader is always clued in soon enough and able to smoothly, if quickly, ride along for the rest of the story.

THE ULTIMATE BALANCING ACT

Stephanie was already a busy woman with her job as a sought-after attorney and her ongoing, stress-inducing plans for her big, dreamy Christmas wedding to the love of her life, Colton, which would finally give them the happily-ever-after they’d both always wanted. There are also her horses for her to attend to, including the always loyal Kingston and the pony with whom she was developing a special relationship.

But all of that gets flipped on its head with the arrival of the terrible letter from Jessica, that ultimately sends Stephanie and Colton everywhere, from Mexico in search of the kidnapped Zoey and all the way north to Vancouver, Canada. With beautiful scenic descriptions, readers will feel they are along for the ride, ready to purchase plane tickets to visit some of the locations Briggs describes in her latest tale.

While on the journey to look for one lost minor, Stephanie makes the unfortunate discovery that Zoey’s life is not the only one she needs to save. Stephanie’s ward, Jill, also becomes threatened to be pulled back into the cycle of abuse Stephanie previously liberated her from, trapped in the home of her biological mother and the terrible man she’s dating, who proved to be nightmarishly abusive in the past.

In all of this, Stephanie can’t help but wonder just how much one woman from Montana can actually do and how she can possibly save all of these lives, including the happy life she had built for herself and Colton, without everything coming undone.

A DELIGHTFUL, FAST-PACED TALE

While this book could have easily also been called “Breaking Point” with the severe stress and pressure Stephanie is put under, from page one to almost the last, the book is uniquely balanced with moments of beauty, as well — lovely, imagistic scenery, moments of love and intimacy, familial ties, and the unbreakable bond Stephanie shares with her horses.

On this fast-paced journey, Stephanie and Colton have to make quick decisions and unravel the mystery of where Zoey has been taken, and what they can possibly do about Jill, and readers will be held in suspense as they watch these decisions unfold — until they reach the ultimate conclusion.

This was an incredibly fun read, full of mystery, thrilling suspense, family, romance and an undeniably endearing horse trope. For readers who are new to Betty Briggs, this will be a wonderful introduction to the urgent stories the author has put to paper; and for those who are returning for more, this will be a welcome return for those who have journeyed with Stephanie and Colton before, in this entirely original, imaginative tale.

 

About Betty Briggs:

Betty Briggs lives with her husband, Scott, near the beautiful Wasatch mountains. After thirty-three years as a legal secretary, she retired in 2005 and continues to write. She has two grown children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, most of whom, she is proud to say, are horse lovers like her. She owns three horses.

Betty also cannot remember a time when she did not write. In grade school, she used to take work home at night just so she could create stories to entertain her classmates with during the school day. She loved filling the pages of notebooks on both sides of the paper so that it would crinkle.

At that time, her dream was to write and illustrate children’s books when she grew up, and it has come true. Betty now has five young adult novels to her name: The Heather Trilogy — which includes Quality Concealed, Image of Deception and Challenge of Choice — as well as two stand-alone novels, Fat Chance: Pony Tales and A Tuff-to-Beat Christmas. Betty also has three adult novels, which she refers to as The Stephanie Trilogy — including Depth of Deceit, Brutal Intent and now Pressure Point.