Suspense in The Lost Hero

Suspense.  The first thing I think of is, naturally, the Jaws theme song.  

Currently I'm reading Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero and I can't help but connect it with the well known "song". 

Riordan is fabulous, that much is true.  But why?  What makes his books so compelling to read?  What makes the cliffhangers so dangerous?

He does exactly what I just did: he has the characters outright ask questions.

One example of this is when Piper is dreaming, "The only question now- will you die with your friends, or live with your father?" (Riordan 106)

Often times I'd find these bits a little outright, but soon I realized that this is important.  Riordan constantly reminds you what you're reading for, which is really helpful towards his goal of suspense.  Since you get swept up into the story, it's nice to have something that the author basically outright says he wants the reader to think about.  

Overall this book has been a great read and I'm looking forward to The Son Of Neptune, which is next in the series!