Glenn Sommers, a widower in the Colorado mountains, lets his seventeen-year-old daughter Jessie spend a semester in Florence, Italy. A late-night call from a kidnapper turns that decision into a nightmare.

About the book

The story begins with Glenn Sommers standing at the doorway of his mountain cabin watching the sun set and reflecting upon his life. Even though it had been a year since his wife died of cancer, he still feels a great emptiness. Over the past year, he and his daughter tried to fill the void left by the loss of a wife and mother by drawing closer to each other. Jessie, a very attractive seventeen-year-old with strawberry blond hair, green eyes, and a vibrant personality, means everything in the world to Glenn. He shakes his head and wonders how he let her talk him into allowing her to spend the semester in Florence, Italy. It is a decision he will soon regret, as a late night telephone call shatters his quiet, dependable world. A cruel sounding voice informs Glenn he has kidnapped his daughter.

Convinced by the kidnapper, Johann Weiseman, that any involvement by the police would end in the death of his daughter, Glenn sets off alone to Italy with only his wits and courage to guide him. As a 42 year old Colorado businessman he is totally out of his element trying to track Jessie through the beautiful but deadly streets of Florence and outwit the brilliantly twisted Weiseman, a psychotic leader of a militant Italian separatist group. In the end, Glenn's single-minded determination to save his daughter is not enough to defeat the evil Weiseman represents. He will need the enigmatic, but effective Italian detective, Hans Luppeck who crosses paths with Glenn in his own pursuit of Weiseman.

Glenn becomes the bait the police use to try to trap Weiseman and his men. The trap is reversed by an act of treachery involving Paula Benau, a teacher at Jessie school and a woman Glenn has brought into his confidence. Unknown to Detective Luppeck and Glenn, Paula is a confederate of Weiseman. Glenn is taken captive and the police are thrown off the trail. Sensing Weiseman will kill he and Jessie after the ransom money is recovered, Glenn and his daughter stage a daring escape attempt that is only partially successful. Jessie escapes leaving Glenn wounded and still in the hands of Weiseman. Summing all her courage, Jessie goes from victim to heroine as she escapes a trap set by Weiseman and leads the police back to rescue her father. Jessie becomes very instrumental in freeing her father and in bringing Weiseman to justice.

About the author

This is my first novel. I am an orthodontist living and practicing in Denver, Colorado. I was raised in Ohio and attended The Ohio State University as an undergraduate. I continued at Ohio State in the School of Dentistry. Following graduation, I joined the U.S. Army to see the world. I later received my orthodontic training in the state of Maryland.

My wife and I spent six years in Europe: three in Germany and three in northern Italy. We lived in small villages in both countries, studied their languages, and traveled extensively throughout Europe. I used my knowledge of the German and Italian cultures to help construct this novel.

I have two children, a son attending Denison University in Ohio and a daughter who is a freshman at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. I split my time between Denver and Frisco, Colorado where we have a home in the mountains. I am an avid skier and snowboarder. I also enjoy fly fishing, biking, tennis, and golf. When I m not enjoying some sporting activity, you will probably find me pondering the mountains and working on my next novel.

Archived from the Harris Literary Agency website. The agency's listing is reproduced as published, with contact details removed.

A Foreign Exchange by Thomas Chubb

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