Severed Trust

It's the latest "in" thing. But first you have to be approved by those that are already part of this exclusive group. Funny how it has to happen that way but in order to ensure security within the group it has to be this way. Oh and you do have to bring along a little something to contribute to the party as well. Welcome to a pill party. Now that you have been approved based on who you're dating, you are expected to bring along whatever happens to be in your medicine cabinet. Don't take too many pills from those bottles as we don't want others to notice they are missing, but maybe one or two for now. They can be anything, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, blood pressure medicine or even pain pills. Just make sure no one sees you taking them and we'll see you there. Make sure you don't tell anyone either or else!

Such is the premise behind Severed Trust by best selling author Margaret Daley in the fourth book in her Men of the Texas Rangers Series. We are immediately introduced to Kelly Winston who finally has her shot with the popular kids in Summerton High School. Now dating a football player, Jared Montgomery who literally has everything going for him including the fact that his dad Bradley is one of the town's richest men and who also owns the largest ranch in Texas. Now Kelly just has to make it through this party with Jared who ensure her that he won't let anything happen to her. He loves her after all and this is a way for Kelly to get to know his closest friends. Armed with a handful of prescription pills that removed from their parents medicine chests, they arrive at the party to contribute their pills to a large bowl in the middle of the abandoned warehouse. The goal of the party is to take a handful of the assorted pills and drink them down with a beer and see what happens.

Jared tells her nothing bad has ever happened. Most of the time, kid's don't experience anything at all; some get a temporary high or others simply sleep off the effects. However Kelly questions just how right any of this is, but wanting to be a permanent part of Jared's future, she decides to take a risk. Only tonight things will take a dramatically different course. When Kelly wakes up she finds Jared cold and laying on the ground of the warehouse. She hears someone mention he is dead and that they have to get him out of the warehouse. Kelly knows she has to get out of here before anyone finds out, so she calls her best friend Lexie to come give her a ride. She makes Lexie promise not to say anything about picking her up, but when she arrives home, the police are waiting for her.

It doesn't help that Lexie's uncle is Ethan Stone, a Texas Ranger and her dad, Cord, is the chief of police. Just how can she find her way through being loyal to her best friend and doing the right thing, especially when Jared's body has been found in the lake. Now it leads Lexie to wonder just what Kelly and Jared were up to and Kelly doesn't want to talk to her about anything that happened that night. In fact, Kelly goes as far as telling the police that she came home after her date with Jared and she doesn't know what happened after he dropped her off. But soon clues begin to point Ethan and Cord to the fact that Jared was murdered and his father will pull out all the stops to ensure that the murderer is caught.

I received Severed Trust by Margaret Daley compliments of Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable one and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. This really opens the readers eyes to what may in fact be happening in schools all over the country. With illegal drugs becoming harder to come by, "pill parties" are becoming the latest thing for middle school and high school students to be involved in. We already know how easy it is for some kids to become addicted to prescription drugs but this is a chilling look at the dangers that may be happening right under our own noses. Once again Margaret Daley takes this novel into a sensational suspense thriller and completely leaves you guessing at what is happening until it all falls into place at the very climatic ending. Makes you wonder how far you'd go to cover for your friend when you give them your word? I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and think it definitely gives parents another conversation starter to have in their own family to prevent this kind of thing from happening to those we love and care about.

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Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

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To read more reviews on Severed Trust, check out Abindgon Press' website. 

• Series: Men of the Texas Rangers
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426761864
• ISBN-13: 978-1426761867
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches