The family is on a much needed vacation. A policeman, his teacher wife, and their daughter, Emily, a little girl with a preternatural gift. Emily's parents aren't getting along, but then they hardly ever did these days. When the family stops for a tourist trip into the Longhorn Caves, they have no idea something is about to happen to change their lives. Waiting for them are a young couple on the run. Once the family exits the caves, they are kidnapped, and now they're all on the run. It's going to be a very Bad Trip South. "Bad trip" hardly does justice to the hellish journey undertaken by the Anderson family in this gripping thriller. Leaving their North Carolina home to visit Long Horn Caverns outside of St. Louis, police officer Jay Anderson, wife Carrie, and 10-year-old daughter Emily are attempting to rebuild familial bonds. Consumed by job-related stress, Jay has taken to beating Carrie. Emily, who has a telepathic ability, is confused and frightened by her parents' angry thoughts. When escaped convict Crow and his amoral girlfriend, Heddy, kidnap the family to provide cover for their escape to Mexico, it looks as though things are going from bad to worse for the beleaguered Andersons. Told partially through Emily's narration to a police psychologist and partially through the viewpoints of the convicts, Mosiman's story is ugly and violent--and utterly compelling. Perhaps most disturbing is Jay's slow but steady move to the dark side, as he begins to fall for Heddy's dangerous allure. Top-notch suspense for mature readers. Jenny McLarin Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved