PRAYING FOR TIME

A young woman is devastated when her sister is kidnapped, but her real problems begin when the sister returns.

Vanessa Everly was just 19 when she and her 14-year old sister, Roxanne, went swimming late one night. Vanessa was attacked, and when she came to, she realized Roxanne was gone—and despite massive efforts by the law and her family, the girl was never found. Vanessa ended her relationship with medical student Christian Montgomery because Christian’s brother was a prime suspect. Now, eight years later, Vanessa is a successful Hollywood actress when she gets a call that Roxanne is back home in Oregon, claiming she had been abducted and abused. Family members react in strange ways, Vanessa gets bizarre phone calls, and a murder takes place. On top of that, Vanessa realizes she still has feelings for Christian. This amateurish effort is marred by obvious plotting but especially by unrealistic dialogue that is used to introduce facts: “No. I’ve wanted to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts since I was twelve and I’ve been lucky enough to be accepted” might be the way a person would talk to a stranger, but not to her sister.

Clichéd characters and clunky dialogue.