Title: Sam and James: The Missing Teen
(The Sequel to A Police Action)
Author: A. A. Freda
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-5320-6028-1
Pages: 221
Genre: Fiction, Crime
Reviewed by: Jason Lolus

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Sam and James: The Missing Teen by A.A. Freda begins in Albuquerque, New Mexico: The granddaughter of a wealthy businessman is kidnapped by a psychopath and his subservient accomplice. One would expect this to be a ransom case. But the villain has far more sinister motives in mind. Meanwhile in Kansas, James and Sam are driving through Kansas en route to Colorado Springs to start their new life as soon-to-be newlyweds. These two plots gradually and methodically collide in this paradoxically gritty and endearing novel.

A young, innocent Penelope Campos is missing. The police find a suspect and coerce a confession. But her grandfather, Henry Greenwald, and mother (Elizabeth) are not satisfied, given that Penelope has yet to be found. A few states away in Colorado Springs, a determined Vietnam Vet, James, protests his way into college. He finds part-time work delivering summonses for a lawyer named Barrett. Through this work, he is introduced to Barrett’s client, Henry Greenwald. James finds a loophole in one of Greenwald’s business agreements, saving him millions. Recognizing James’ preternatural ability to solve problems, he commissions James to look for his missing granddaughter. James starts his own detective agency. The mystery of Penelope Campos and the lives of the ambitious young couple, Sam and James, become inextricably woven.

Penelope’s disappearance becomes a subplot to the cinematic love story of Sam and James. I suppose this is Freda’s way of focusing on their story yet keeping the kidnapping mysterious – as seen through James’s eyes. Believing Penelope is dead or gone, the police and FBI close the case: it becomes clear that James is her last hope. Sam and James are young and apprehensive but determined and diligent. They are totally committed to one another and to the idea of a wholesome, comfortable life. Sam is his more than competent and loyal partner, but James is the hero of this novel. He is part hustler, part savior. He wants to make money, but he feels obligated to help people: perhaps as a result of his soldiering days. They are the heroic and moral version of Bonnie and Clyde.

Set in the 1960s, this is an endearing (maybe even in some way, quaint) coming-of-age story of an ambitious young couple building their own personal American Dream. Their story is interesting, but the story of the kidnapping is what really drives the plot and keeps you reading. In my opinion this is a more plot-driven sequel to Freda’s more existential A Police Action. There is enough context to read Sam and James: The Missing Teen on its own, so one could easily read this first and go to A Police Action as a prequel. In either order, I highly recommend both books.