Sam and James The Missing Teen

by A.A. Freda

It's a clear, cool January afternoon in the late 1960s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when two thugs snatch a beautiful, wealthy teenager off the street and shove her into their van. As a terrified Penelope Campos sobs and pleads to be released, the men drive to a house, sneak her inside, and slam the door shut. The villains have just successfully kidnapped the granddaughter of the most influential man in New Mexico-not for ransom, but for a more nefarious reason. Two months later, James is behind the wheel of his Mustang staring at the vast farmlands of Kansas. Not long ago, he flew over the same fields while on his way home from Vietnam. Beside him in the passenger seat is Sam, his beautiful wife-to-be who, after a rocky start to their romance, is happily accompanying him from New York to Colorado to forge a new life together. But as their car speeds down the road, neither has any idea that their lives will soon intertwine with Penelope's as fate leads them down a dangerous path to the truth-and a new adventure. In this gripping mystery, a young couple linked with the kidnapping of a wealthy teenage girl inadvertently change the course of their lives forever.

226 pages, Hardcover

Published January 23, 2019

About the author

A. A. Freda is an award winning author who writes about life experiences he's had or people he's met along the way.

All of his works are rated four stars or better by most reviewers.

​Freda grew up in New York City and now resides in Easton, CT, a suburb of New York City that offers him a tranquil environment that allows him to keep his finger on the pulse of the city he loves so much. A graduate of Bernard Baruch College at the City University in New York, he has served as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Freda also served in Vietnam the subject matter of A Police Action. In addition to writing, in his spare time, Freda enjoys fishing, hiking, climbing and shooting pool.

Reviews

[Dianne]

What happened to Penelope? Who took her and why? Was it because of her family’s vast wealth and power? Was it political? Why can’t the authorities find her? It will take the out-of-the-box thinking of a freshly minted Private Detective, James to breathe life into a case gone cold, but will the answers be what the family hopes for?

A.A. Freda has combined the terror of a kidnapping, the brilliance of a young detective juggling his ambition with his growing romantic relationship and the power sheer grit to give readers a story that is as unexpected as it is stellar. SAM AND JAMES : THE MISSING TEEN begins on a tense and dark moment and explodes into a kaleidoscope of reading delight as Mr. Freda skillfully balances this tale between moments of tension, romance and even humor, just like real life!

These characters make the everyday seem normal, and then become larger than life in their quest for justice and answers. James has so many facets to his character, he steals the show while Sam and the rest of the cast round out some great storytelling that made those pages just fly on past!

Real human emotions and some grit, along with those moments that made me say, “Yes, good for you, that’s is exactly what I would want to do,” make this fabulous reading from an author who has never disappointed me!

I received a complimentary copy from A.A. Freda!

Publisher: iUniverse (January 23, 2019)
Publication Date: January 23, 2019
Genre: Mystery
Print Length: 226 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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[BooksCoffee]

Set in the late 1960s, Freda’s fast-paced, captivating action thriller series vividly combines romance and action to build a story steeped in intrigue.

For the lovely nineteen-year-old Samantha Powers and the young soldier James Coppi, the spark flies at once after they meet in the Country Honky Tonk in Colorado Springs. But Samantha is pregnant with someone else's child, and James is all set to go to Vietnam to join the war. Will the couple separate forever or unite after James returns from Vietnam?

Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the second installment sees James and Sam get entangled in a high-profile kidnapping case after two dangerous criminals kidnap the lovely fourteen-year-old Penelope Campos.

In the third installment, the story takes place some seven years later, with Sam and James married and the owners of a successful private business and a vast Colorado ranch. When family friends’ only son is found murdered on the streets of Washington DC, Sam and James step in to investigate the case, unaware a sinister conspiracy is going to upturn their own lives.

In the fourth installment, James finds himself face to face in a dangerous situation after a group of armed terrorists attacks the First Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, with an intention to carry out a mass massacre.

Freda’s deft touch brilliantly portrays his characters’ fears, insecurities, apprehensions, and hopes as he touches on the relevant themes of marriage, family ties, evolving relationships, friendship, regrets, loss, grief, and trauma. Along the way, he explores teenage sexual abuse, gender and racial discrimination of the era, PTSD, political conspiracies, and global terrorism.

James, with his sharp intellect, competence, and reflective nature makes for a memorable protagonist. His ability to look into odd situations with clarity and perception makes him all the more endearing as a private eye. Sam is a thorough darling. Her candor, fiercely driven nature, and innate stubbornness make it impossible for the reader not to root for her. Her relationship with James is realistic, and their sizzling sex scenes will keep romance lovers invested.

The couple’s relationship keeps on evolving, but action and thrill remain at the heart of the series. Freda seamlessly juggles various plot twists, efficiently tying all the loose ends and bringing each mystery to a satisfying close. The realistic portrayal of military life (Freda borrows from his own memories of Vietnam War), the intriguing political conspiracies, intricate young adult drama, and relationship upheavals add to depth and substance while the sharp dialogue, fast-paced action, and expert pacing keep the pages flying.

Each book in the series is pretty much a stand-alone, but reading the series in order will be beneficial, considering Sam and James’s relationship keeps evolving and there are continuous developments in their life as a couple.

The ongoing ups and downs of the characters’ lives, the multifaceted plotting, and the way Freda’s adept storytelling effectively blends individual struggles with universal concerns the series a must-read.

[Heather D]

Very engaging

Sam and James: The Missing Teen is a very engaging story, that makes you want to keep reading to find out the next turn in the plot. It was definitely an interesting read that held my attention from the beginning to the end of the story.

Although the title alludes to the missing teen, Penelope, we as the reader are knowledgeable of most only the clues main character James discovers. Author Freda describes Penelope's abduction at the beginning, but then her whereabouts become a mystery for us, and we discover clues about her disappearance along with James. This definitely held my interest during the story.

In addition to the mystery of Penelope's disappearance, most of the story is about James, and the development of his relationship with Sam, the beginnings of his detective agency and career, and his self growth in his dealings with the characters around him. Sam is definitely a heroic, "great guy" character--he has a knack for noticing clues that others miss, he is faithful to Sam even when given several opportunities not to be, and he is a man of his word in his business dealings. He gives up drugs immediately upon leaving New York with Sam, and stays clean. He wins approval of his minister father in law, and even wins the support of his school for admission. He also comes to the defense of his friend Kathy when she is assaulted, and breaks both wrists sticking up for her. He sends a large amount of money to his friends widow from Vietnam, and brings her children toys. He ends up a successful businessman with a happy marriage. James is definitely the all American hero.

In contrast, the other characters are generally smart and good people, but all have flaws. They miss clues, lose their temper, or have vices in regards to faithfulness. Although the detective agency is called Sam and James (Sam being his wife), it is mostly about James. Sam's name was added because James is a good guy!

I really enjoyed reading about James's growth and successes in this story, as well as reading about his heroic rescue of Penelope. A great book!

[Mrs. Varela]

A A Freda writes an intriguing story that kept my attention from the first page to the last. Sam and James: The Missing Teen is a mystery that is set during the late 1960’s. It begins in Albuquerque, New Mexico where 14 year-old Penelope is kidnapped outside of her home by two strangers who have been watching her for weeks. When she is reported missing, her wealthy and highly connected grandfather, Henry Greenwald will stop at nothing to make sure that she is found.


Traveling from New York back to Colorado Springs, recently discharged Vietnam vet James and his fiance Sam are busy planning their future when their lives are changed forever. While Sam has a management position in retail, James plans to further his education, but is drawn to become a private detective when he starts a side job delivering court summons.  When he is successful at solving high paying business case for an attorney, the client is impressed. The client happens to be Penelope’s grandfather who hires James to search for his granddaughter who is still missing after two months. Although James is new at being a detective, he has a keen sense of intuition which makes him seemingly better equipped to solve the case than the authorities. Feeling compelled to comply with his client’s request, James is determined to find the young girl no matter what it takes.


Throughout the book there are side stories involving Sam’s best friend and roommate Kathie as well as the people who work with James. I found most of the characters personalities to be very well developed and quite interesting. In my opinion, this story could very well lead to more Sam and James books.

[Mrs.J.Richmond]

Review of The Missing Teen. Sam and James' venture as private detectives.

This book is the sequel to The Police Action, and the second in the Sam and James series.

The story of Sam and James continues in Colorado Springs after James returns from active duty in Vietnam. Their relationship is now established but their lives are now taking a completely different tack.

The Police Action was largely about Jame's struggle facing the reality of civilian life set against the backdrop of his service in Vietnam. In this latest chapter of his life he is now committed to marrying Sam and working out what to do to earn a living.

This young man certainly is driven and thinks out of the box. He has high hopes for himself and dreams of a future which provides the very best for his partner. He takes advantage of every opportunity that comes his way and capitalises on them to develop a new career, and then some. Despite some ups and downs he manages to convince Sam to go along for the ride. There is a definite feel-good thread to this book.

For those who haven't lived through this era of sexual freedom and nascent feminism there may be a few shocks. I did, and I still found some of it uncomfortable.

Certainly there are confusing messages in the narrative as Sam asserts herself as an equal partner and yet at the same time uses sex to manipulate James. Some of the sex is quite explicit.

James on the other hand is way ahead of his time, sharing housework - maybe not cooking - and making Sam an equal partner, again with the exception of their sexual relationship.

The book moves at quite a pace after a slow start. Apart from the usual creative licence of coincidence it is a well told and convincing story. Mr. Freda certainly has a good grasp of dialogue and creates interesting characters. He has adapted well to this new genre of crime fiction.

Unlike his previous novels I missed the layers usually present in his work, however I think this book could well be a stepping stone to the remaining two novels. This doesn't mean the work doesn't stand on its own; it does. It is a good tale and certainly gives lots of insights into dating and marriage rituals of the Beatles era. Even the success James achieves in his new venture is testament to the opportunities that were available at that time, if you were prepared to work hard and have a go.

[Denise Sanchez]

The story was very engaging and was hard to put down. I haven’t read the first book about Sam and James, but this book did not require knowledge of the first to enjoy. The only thing that threw me off was the awkward sex scenes.

I received a copy of this book from a giveaway.

[Hazel Hazelkuda]

I loved this book. All I can say is if you are looking for a book with a hero you will relate to, zero pity parties and intelligent dialogue...this is a winner.
I highly recommend the book.