Operation Bassinet is the second in a two-book series called The Collingwood Heirs, but it stands on its own. It’s a good thing, too. I thought the first book, The Butler’s Daughter, was slow, overly convoluted and burdened with wooden characters, a D-level read for me. This one’s better in every way, making for one fast, effective little thriller.

The series centers around the kidnapping of Riana Collingwood, the infant daughter of a rich and powerful New York couple who were killed in the first book. Now, three years after the abduction, the kidnapper sends a note to their heirs demanding a ransom for Riana’s return. But the DNA sample enclosed to prove the child taken really is Riana only proves that she isn’t, something the kidnappers don’t know.

Hired to discreetly investigate, former L.A.P.D. detective Mitch Halloran tracks down the women who gave birth in the same New York hospital when Lexi Collingwood did. After secretly obtaining DNA samples from their children and having tests conducted, he learns that Riana Collingwood is being raised by single mother Stef Shelton as her own daughter Keely. Stef is understandably devastated and doesn’t want to believe him when Mitch tells her Keely isn’t her daughter, and the child she gave birth to is in the hands of kidnappers who wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of her if they learned the truth. Stef has no intention of losing the child she has, but in order to save the one she doesn’t, she must work with Mitch to uncover the truth about the kidnapping.

The story is a little difficult to explain in two paragraphs, but it goes down easier in the book. Maybe a little too easy at times. The book moves at warp speed, and in true suspense novel fashion, that speed is both its biggest strength and weakness. It certainly keeps things moving. The excitement level remains high and the momentum never flags as the characters follow the clues back to the truth. Although it is burdened with some of the convoluted elements of the first book, Operation Bassinet is a well-plotted mystery that holds up on its own. The hero and heroine make a good team. While it isn’t necessary to read the first book, it is nice to see how everything set up there pays off.

The brisk pace also means some moments and character elements are dealt out in shorthand. Stef goes along with Mitch so quickly it’s a good thing he really is one of the good guys. We don’t learn much about the two of them other than what relates to this particular story. Mitch had a sad childhood that influences his determination to find Stef’s daughter, back story dished out in an awkward fashion, as though the author just wanted to get it out of the way. All we really know about Stef relates to her marriage, and that’s not much, and the birth of her child.

While Mitch and Stef may not be the deepest characters, they are sympathetic and their story remains involving, mostly because of the author’s highly emotional storytelling. The book opens with Stef in her hospital room cradling what she believes is her newborn daughter. The brief three page prologue doesn’t seem to have much of a point, except it does set the tone for the rest of the book. The story’s real sense of urgency comes from her bond with Keely and her need to find the truth about the kidnapping and her husband’s role in it. It’s very effective, and this is coming from someone who likes to read about little kids about as much as I like being poked in the eye. Creating this high emotional level also helps the romance work a little better than it often does in this type of story. The author does indulge in the occasional melodramatic moment, but for the most part the writing is nicely done.

Operation Bassinet isn’t the deepest or most substantive book I’ve ever read. It’s more an adrenaline rush of a book: very fast, highly emotional, the kind of story that gets the heart pumping and the pages turning. For those in the mood for a quick dose of romantic suspense, this makes for an effective, entertaining read.