5 comments about Claiming the Courtesan (Avon Romantic Treasures).

1. In the end I didn't like this novel. Mainly because I recognised the type of heroine Verity turns out to be. A good old-fashioned ball-breaker. You know. The kind of gal who puts her man through hell before she accepts his proposal of marriage. Give out some bump and grind then make the guy feel like a piece of dirt for accepting it.
   
   The hero, Kylemore, proposes to Verity twice. Once at the beginning of the story where she declines and then again on the last few pages where Verity accepts. Inbetween there's endless miserable fleeings and sordid reunions. Just about one chapter of happiness. Pages and pages of completely insincere 'I'm not worthy' rubbish from the heroine which is just an excuse to further put the hero through the wringer. Poor sap.
   
   I absolutely loathed the character of Verity's brother. At 23 years old, he's more than capable of earning an honest living. But what does he do? Leeches off his sister, the hooker. His oafish shenanigans force Kylemore to declare Verity his mistress in front of an unruly mob. The whole scene made me cringe. In fact I cheered when Ben, the brother, got the whooping he so thoroughly deserved. Why Kylemore gave him even the time of day defied any reason. Still. That's the sort of baggage that comes with marrying a hooker.
   
   The novel is also inconsistent in the characterisations and motivations of the main couple. All Verity needed to say in order to get rid of the Duke was, 'Actually Kylemore, I think I may have a slight case of the pox.' Her 'I want to be alone' schtick was just a total tease. I much prefered the scenes between the manipulative, assured Soraya and the arrogant Kylemore. The few that there were. The dowager Duchess was a magnificent creation. Ah. What might have been.
   
   Basically this novel is a throwback to mid 70s monstrosities. Thank goodness most romance writers have given up producing this type of drivel.



2. This book should not come under the "Romance" banner. It should head a list for books with a "Rape" theme. I was horrified when I saw how the book was progressing. Neither characters had any warm tender feelings for each other. I am all for Fantasy, but a Courtesan marryng a Duke.??? Not even in a Fiction novel is that possible. Throw in the kidnapping and then the continual raping of the female,(under the guise of the Dukes uncontrollable lust for the Courtesan,) then this book deserved the trash can I threw it in. I cannot remember ever having to do this before.



3. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I liked seeing the point of view of a man purely obsessed with a woman and what lengths he would go to have her. It was very sexy and yes, disturbing at times, but I got over it because of its unconventional beginnings. In the end, however, I felt it dragged on and on. But all in all a must read.



4. I absolutely loved this book. I tend to like darker heroes and this book delivered that. If you are looking for a run of the mill romance novel good guy this is not the book for you. I thought the author did an amazing job with this book. She gave just enough background of the characters without getting off track. I will definitely be checking out more books from this author.



5. This book was a big let down. It started out very interesting but the Hero ended up being absolutely ridiculous. He was just a big mean baby that took forever to get over his personal problems, it was extremely hard to like him at all. It had such potential but overall it was not a good read.

4 comments about Malicious Pursuit.

1. Ruth Ferguson is a teacher with an abusive ex-husband who has custody of their young daughter. One weekend, a desperate Ruth runs away with the girl and begins to make a new life far away. In the meantime, programmer Spencer Rollins runs into trouble at work and is framed for murder. After a long night of running from the law, Spencer hides and falls asleep in the back seat of a car in a Wal Mart parking lot. Unfortunately for Ruth, she discovers the sickly, unwanted passenger only after she arrives back at her new home. The caring Ruth can't bring herself to throw Spencer out and the two develop a tentative friendship as Spencer gets well. As the women begin to trust each other and disclose their own stories, new feelings begin to develop. Together they work through their friends, both new and old, to get back on the right side of the law.
   
   I truly love KG MacGregor's writing. She keeps the story exciting and (relatively, it is a fictional romance) realistic. Her editor also does a wonderful job (typos annoy the heck out of me). Very highly recommended for a nice, quiet weekend night curled up in front of the fire. Don't forget the wine and crackers!



2. KG MacGregor has done it again! If you've read Shaken, you know KG is great at writing action-packed stories filled with great, compelling characters. (If you haven't read Shaken, go read it immediately!) While I don't have to reiterate the plot, what makes this book so great is that (as K. Johnson mentioned in her review), even though it is fiction, the plotlines are completely believable. There wasn't a moment during this book when I was forced to make an allowance for "artistic license." These characters - from the young daughter who is caught in the middle of divorced parents to the neighbor who has enough charisma and depth to her personality that you want to read a book just about her life - really jump out of the book and aren't just incidental to the main characters. KG also doesn't force the romance; the kindness and affection which grows between the two women feels like a very natural progression.
   
   This is an excellent read! I agree with K. Johnson that you might as well grab a beverage and some snacks because it's very unlikely you'll be able to put this book down until you are finished. And once you do finish - the characters will stick with you for days.



3. If you like the adventure type book, this one is for you. I really like they way the book flowed to bring the characters together without alot of unnecessary information. Fiction is a great way to tell a story that is either far fetched or just barely unbelievable.
   This book is in the barely unbelievable category. Motorcycle- car chases, on the run, no money and a story you yourself would not believe is what one of the women in this book faces. The other on the run from an ex-husband, a small town, with your own daughter who you trying to save from the abuse she is subjected to.
   Want to know more? Get the book.



4. I couldn't put this one down! Ever ypage was a pleasure to read. Both Ruth and Spencer are on the run. Spencer for her life, and Ruth from an abusive husband that is trying to steal her daugther. The blossoming of friendship and love between the two women is an added attraction to this fast paced action novel. I loved the book!

5 comments about Devil's Peak: A Novel.

1. Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (2/08)
   
   "Devil's Peak" begins with a bang and the action never ceases. There are three seemingly unrelated stories occurring. Benny, a police officer, has just been thrown out of the house because he is an alcoholic who will not seek help. Naturally, his alcoholism also affects his job performance. His supervisor shows faith in him by putting him in charge of the investigation into the murders of people who have been accused of committing crimes against children (the second story). In the third story, a young woman is explaining to her pastor why she became a prostitute. As the book progresses, these characters' lives overlap and it becomes clear as to what motivates each of them to act in the ways they choose.
   
   I liked the plot of this book very much. I enjoyed learning about the methods that are used for profiling serial killers. The characters were realistic and I was moved to hear some of the things that had occurred in their lives. I especially enjoyed the very descriptive struggles Benny encountered while trying to stay sober. It was touching when he tried to explain to his children why he has difficulty resisting alcohol. His son's anger toward him was strongly emphasized. I could feel his pain as he berated his father for always thinking only of himself instead of his family. It was also great to see Benny and his son make up because it can provide hope to others who are in a similar situation.
   
   Meyer discusses many people's vices, including prostitution and alcoholism, in a straightforward way. He provides an honest explanation as to why people make the choices they do. A key concept in this book is that help is there if people are willing to accept it and put in the effort to change their own behaviors. He also focuses on the debate between legal justice and moral justice, and whether morals should sometimes supercede the law.
   
   "Devil's Peak" will appeal to any adult reader. It will make people think about what actions are justified even if they are not legal. It will also challenge individuals to accept responsibility for their own lives and not to blame events from the past for their present behaviors.



2. If someone had asked me if I wanted to read a "cop" story that takes place in South Africa, I may have "passed" on it. What a loss that would have been! This is one the best I've ever read.



3. First book I've read by this author and I will be reading them all. Action is fast paced and you have to put the book down and take a respite. Not for the faint of heart. When's the movie coming out will automatically be the question once you have finished this book. Principal character, Griesell, rivals Ian Rankin's Rebus. An alcoholic detective, an avenging former Stasi trained African freedom fighter taking out his wrath on pedophiles, a beautiful call girl, and a Colombian drug lord all come together in a very well crafted suspense yarn. Through the book you are aware or suspect that things are not as they seem and the author jumbles the present with the past and the future but there is no confusion, only clarity. Meyer keeps you guessing until the very end.



4. Three very flawed but sympathetic characters populate this novel. There is Thobela Mpayipheli, a Black South African who was trained as an assassin by the East German secret police. Then there is Benny Griessel, alcoholic detective. And lastly, Christine van Rooyen, a prostitute with a three-year-old daughter. Somehow, their lives intertwine in a gripping story which keeps the reader off-balance all the way.
   
   Initially, Thobela is introduced as a farmer who recently lost his wife, leaving him with a young boy who he loves very much. The boy is shot dead during an armed robbery, setting off a chain of events which leads Thobela to act as an avenging vigilante against abusers of children. Benny, once (and possibly even in his present continual alcoholic haze) a superior detective, is kicked out of his home by his long-suffering wife with the admonishment that he might be permitted to return if he stays sober for six months. Meanwhile, he is placed in charge of two important cases, including the serial killer of abused children. Christine's story alternates with the other two as she sits confessing to a priest. Her tale plays a pivotal role in the lives of the other two.
   
   This is the author's fourth novel, each superior reading. His complex stories and descriptions of South Africa are exceptional, his characters unusual and graphic, his works top-notch. Like his previous efforts, Devil's Peak is highly recommended.



5. Deon Meyer's novel, Devil's Peak, is a complex, yet exciting tale of African espionage. The author has created a cast of characters so diverse, you will have quite a time keeping up with each of them. Yet, I wanted to know more about them as my fingers turned page by page.
   
   There is the prostitute who visits a clergyman with a secret carton. Then a man, a modern-day vigilante, is seeking justice for the death of his adopted son. On his trail is an alcoholic detective inspector who risks his wife and children for the love of the bottle. That is just a few of the people who make the novel so compelling.
   
   Out of all of their stories, Thobela Mpayipheli's is the one that kept me reading the book from start to finish. Here was a man who married the woman he loved and adopted her son as his. When she dies, he is left to raise the child, which he does with joy and determination. Then a fateful stop at a filing station changes Thobela's life forever. It sends him on a mission to send every criminal he encounters to a brutal and traumatic end. He is on a search for two men in particular who he has to exact a revenge that only their deaths can satisfy. Yet, he then realizes that his journey entails more than that.
   
   There are AIDS-infected men who are raping children in an ill attempt to rid themselves of the disease. When the court refuses to condemn them to prison, Thobela decides to take matters into his own hands.
   
   The author designs his characters in a way that their lives are all somehow entwined. This means that you must stay on your toes in order to follow the storyline. Yet, I found Devil's Peak to be an interesting and exciting read. I realize that Thobela Mpayipheli is my new hero and the man of my dreams.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Most interesting storyline.

5 comments about No Second Chance.

1. I just started reading Cobens books. This one was really good. I thought Gone for Good was better though. I am looking forward to reading all his books. I recently got a kindle and it is awesome. My reading has really increased. I finally find myself reading instead of flipping thru the channels on tv looking for something to watch. I recommend this book for a fun read, and I highly, HIGHLY recommend getting a kindle!



2. As a father of two small children, this book touched me in a way many others can not. While the plot does not break any significant new ground, Coben's characteristic plot twists and deft narrative kept me absorbed throughout.
   
   If you don't have children, it's possible that you may not understand what this book is offering to the reader. However, if you do, I'm sure you understand that Coben has scripted Marc Seidman into the absolute worst nightmare a parent could face.
   
   Character wise, Seidman, Verne, and the two cops (Tickner & Regan) stand out. Each had passion, integrity, and a strong human quality. Lydia and Heshy were a little over the top, but the bond between them added significantly to the story.
   
   Plot wise, I suspected all along the particular character in the final twist, but I just couldn't piece together exactly how the character was involved. Several of the plot lines had me thinking how I would react in the same situation.
   
   Bottom line is that Coben is one of the best. The Myron Bolitor series is great fun, but his stand-alone efforts are thought provoking fiction at its best. Well done.



3. My mom lent me this book. She has been going through a Harlan Coben phase and thought it would be interesting. Now, my thriller mysteries are pretty much left up to Koontz and Grafton, but I gave it a shot, and sure, this is a pretty darn entertaining book! It did quite grab me the way I expected, but I like Coben's writing, his complex plots, and his characters. This is full of interesting people, motives, and twists, leaving me truly wondering why I was not blown out of the water. Which probably means plenty of others will love this great solid little mystery.



4. At home. Breakfast time. Another ordinary day. But everything changes in the space of a minute. Plastic surgeon Marc is shot at and is left for dead. His wife Monica is shot at too and IS dead. Their baby, 6-month old Tara, is missing. Vanished.
   Marc wakes up in the hospital and learns the terrible truth. What happened? Why? Where is his precious, lovely baby? The police investigate. His lawyer and best friend Lenny tries to help. But nothing comes up, only theories, and Marc is also under investigation as prime suspect. Time drags by. It dilates and expands frustratingly. A request for ransom ignites hope. And things start to change. But nothing could prepare Marc for what is in store for him.
   
   Another brilliant mystery by Harlan Coben. As the title suggests, no second chance for Marc but indeed many more chances for Coben, who is able to grab the reader's attention with a fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat narrative, nothing is what it seems but in the end everything is clear, every little details falls into the right place and there are no questions left unanswered. Great entertainment!



5. Coben is the master of the "hook and twist," says his friend Dan Brown. Well, he got me again with this one. This one is not quite as good as "Tell No One," but what is? This is a darn good thriller with twists and turns till the very end. Plus there is a nice happy ending. Great stuff.

5 comments about Vanishing Act: Mystery at the U.S. Open.

1. John Feinstein's VANISHING ACT is set in new York City, where a hundred athletes are competing for millions in prizes - and where a kidnapping changes the nature of the game. Everyone's looking for Nadia - but two eighth-grade rookies have the best chance of finding her - if they're in time. A satisfying mystery evolves.



2. Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson got their "fifteen minutes of fame" after helping to unravel the Final Four mystery involving the blackmailing of Minnesota State University's star player, Chip Graber. Remaining good friends, they keep in touch over email and IM all the time. When Susan Carol tells Stevie she'll be covering the U.S. Open for her local sports paper, she convinces Stevie to come along. Stevie contacts Bobby Kelleher, the Washington Herald columnist who mentored them during the Final Four, and sure enough Kelleher has a job for Stevie too. They're off to New York City, but little do they know what they'll have in store for themselves.
   
   Right before her anticipated first game, young Russian phenom Nadia Makarova goes missing and immediately Stevie and Susan Carol find themselves trying to unfold another mystery. And yet again, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Who are Nadia Makarova's kidnappers? Why does Susan Carol's agent uncle, Brendan Gibson, seem like he's right in the middle of this? Plus, what does this mean for up-and-coming new U.S. tennis star Evelyn Rubin, who is smashing her way through games and scheduled to play Makarova?
   
   VANISHING ACT is John Feinstein's follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, LAST SHOT. The author, a political and sports reporter for the Washington Post as well as Sports Illustrated and National Sports Daily, has written many bestselling sports-related books. In his second effort Feinstein continues to succeed, mixing real-life sports personalities like Bud Collins and Andy Roddick into the fictional world. Feinstein also reveals a behind-the-scenes look at sports agents that doesn't portray them in a very good light.
   
   Like his previous effort, VANISHING ACT provides an almost nonfiction-like look into the professional tennis world and the U.S. Open while mixing elements of a fiction mystery novel. Readers will be happy to see the return of Stevie and Susan Carol, who have clearly grown as friends. (And Stevie's constant eating of hamburgers and pizza in an effort to grow taller is pretty humorous too.) VANISHING ACT is a fast-paced story that whizzes by like a powerful serve. It's a fun read for anyone interested in tennis or mysteries, or both.
   
   --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson



3. In Vanishing Act by John Feinstein, the main characters, Steve Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson, both have a deep love of sports and are sports reporters.
   
   When Nadia Symanova, a tennis player, vanishes at the US Open Tennis Tournament, Steve and Susan Carol try to unravel the mystery. Has she been kidnapped because someone wants her to stay a Russian citizen and not become an American? Did she run away? The FBI, media and Steve and Susan Carol all try to find Nadia.
   
   The story is written in current time in New York City at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament.
   
   The themes of the story are bravery, sacrifice, sports and hope. The moral of the story would be to always work together.
   
   I loved the story because it's sports related and it shows the meaning of friendship. Steve and Susan Carol's actions in this book, where they save each other, help each other out on their stories and always work together is a great example of what I would want from a best friend. This story is the sequel to the story Last Shot. If you love this book, you will love Last Shot almost as much.



4. The best book I read this year was Vanishing Act by John Feinstein.
   
   The main characters are Susan Carol and Stevie Thomas who become kid reporters when they win a National Writing Contest. Susan Carol is a 14 year old from South Carolina and is a sports fanatic who seems to know everything about everyone. Stevie is a 13 year old from Philadelphia and plays basketball.
   
   In this story they are sent to cover the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament with a friend reporter, Bobby Kheller. While they are waiting for a match to begin one of the players is kidnapped. When Susan and Stevie dig a little deeper they find that it was all staged to make a movie deal. They must stop the plot before it is too late.
   
   This all takes place in New York City in modern day times.
   
   The themes for this story are Bravery- for continuing the case after being threatened to stop their investigation. Friendship- for when Susan and Stevie stuck together to solve the case. Finally Money- because if the crooks got away with it the movie deal would give them 21.5 million dollars and more if the movie did well.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I loved it because it included mystery, sports and it was a pleasure to read. This book keeps you guessing and leaves you wanting more.



5. I had to read this book for a class. At first, before I read it, my fellow classmates said, "Oh, it was a good book," So I thought ok. As a sports person I thought it would be definitely something I would want to read. I started reading and it seemed to be alright, it got better towards the middles, but I was really dissapointed with the ending because it didn't seem real exciting, more just so-so. I would not recomend this book to any of my friends because I know they would like an exciting ending like I do.

5 comments about Choosers of the Slain (Paladin of Shadows, Book 3).

1. This was an even better read than Kildar. I will definitely be recommending this series. Good action all around.



2. Complex characters and fun reading for those who think America is at war with a ruthless enemy and wish someone would use some force in dealing with it!



3. Such is the basic worldview of Mike Harmon, former SEAL and accidental medieval warlord. A lot of us in the uglier parts of the US military are there to channel our demons into something for the betterment of society. When your sole talent and love is plotting the deaths of your fellow men in as messy and artistic a way as possible, yet you're socialized enough as a human being to know it's "wrong", you might as well go where you're hunting for the betterment of mankind. I read this one right on the heels of Ringo's We Few, and saw elements of the conflicted Prince Roger in Mike. I know what it's like to want to kill someone so bad I could taste it, yet knowing it's just not cool to do so. Finding an outlet for those energies now that my active infantry days are drawing to a close would be nice. Too bad there's no valley of the Kildara out there for the rest of us old soldiers.
   
   While it's a novel that deals with the ugly truth of the international sex trade, it's true that Mike has his own kinks and falls into situations where he gets to exercise them. My wife, a conniseur of such fiction, rates one scene in particular rather highly.
   
   The trigger pulling portions aren't bad, but often soft on some of the details. SPR's aren't really explained for what they are, and I think there's too much use of the H&K MP-5, then again I'm not an admirer of any 9mm SMG for beyond room use.
   
   The disclaimer in the front of the book, often overlooked, actually contains one of the funniest lines in the book.



4. What's to say, really. It's sorta Tarl Cabot meets Jack Ryan. Without the pages of goofy internal dialogue or the Russian order of battle.



5. Choosers Of The Slain is an improvement over Ringo's previous effort in this series, Kildar. He has finished the long set-up needed to establish the characters base and all the additional cast thrown into the previous novel, and can get down to some nitty-gritty action.
   
   As he has shown, Ringo has a knack for military fiction. The urban battle scenes are great, and he even manages to pull of the more "stealthy" covert sections of the book, keeping the reader interested.
   
   The series is still burdened by the Authors incredibly overuse of sex, specifically aggressive fairly deviant sex. This series has such potential that it will never live up to unless the Author steps back from whatever daemons he is working through.

5 comments about Biting the Moon.

1. Colorado is not the south, the dialogue of those from Cripple Creek was very amusing, we don't really sound like that here but then the English probably think Americans all sound the same. And I agree with other reviewers, how can you focus on animal issues and not touch on slaughter-houses, the girls sure did enjoy many meat-laden meals in this book! Too bad they didn't also make a stop at a meat packing plant and free some cows, lambs and chickens!



2. This books is laughable. The author portrays animals in such a manner that I first thought I was reading "Bambi". Also, the story skips from one scene to the next without any obvious purpose. The characters seem like they might have been written by a twelve year old. Very poorly written. This book is proof to the world that it is possible to get just about anything published these days.



3. I'm glad I read this book before its predecessor, Rainbow's End, because I might have believed all the amazingly bad reviews here. Inspector Jury needs to be placed before a jury and found guilty for being boring.
   
   True, I found both Andie and Mary a bit too mature for teenagers, and they both got lucky too often, but I found their special and fast bond as two eccentric loners touching and unique as they travelled together saving animals and hunting down the man who'd abducted Andie many months before. Agreed, you had to suspend some disbelief, but the unfinished business of Mary not checking up on Andie after their time together was through had a distinctly sweet romantic aire that had nothing to do with any conventional love story, and I liked that she didn't persue it further. I didn't even know about the unfair and outrageous antics of canned hunting until discovering this book, and loved these characters all the more for trying to save animals, plus righting the wrongs of human injustices where they could. Full of interesting characters and unpredictable twists and turns, I saw this story as a bit of escapist heaven combined with elements of an author who is definitely a dreamer of unconventionally romantic tales. Animal welfare is also a big deal in my book, so I really enjoyed the adventures of Andie and Mary. Who was Andie? We never really find out, but we know that Mary is a better person for having known her. A positive tale that dares the reader not to care about its many characters and causes, I found it irresistibly hard to put down.



4. I read this book after her latest one on Andi Oliver (Dakota). I really loved Dakota and felt that I better read the first book too since I missed it somehow. This book is certainly darker than my much loved Richard Jury books, but because Ms. Grimes is such an excellent writer, it is still well worth reading. I found it difficult to get through the descriptions of the trapping, dog fights and the canned hunts. Those are things that I know happen, but it is very uncomfortable being forced to face them. No one writes about teenage angst like Ms. Grimes, and it was nice to see young Mary Dark Hope again. Andi and Mary are quite a formidable team, and their trip across country to find the man who kidnapped Andi is full of wonderful and colourful characters and places.



5. I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS FIRST IN SERIES OF TWO. AS SUCH WAS INTERESTING STORY HOWEVER AFTER READING SECOND BOOK AND LEFT HANGING I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND THESE BOOKS UNTIL THERE IS A CONCLIDING BOOK TO COMPLETE THE STORY

5 comments about The Barefoot Princess (Lost Princesses, Book 2).

1. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance novel.... Christina Dodd really keeps you intereasted... As with all of her books, this one was hard to put down...



2. When the leading lady kidnaps and puts chains on the leading man, you know its a good book.



3. It seems that this must be one of those books you either really like or really hate. I'm with the former. I have just finished book one, Some Enchanted Evening (Lost Princesses), which I thought it was a surprisingly entertaining story. I started book 2 immediately and finished it in less than a day. I thought the storyline was fun, touching, romantic, and VERY steamy.
   
   The only issue I had was the hero's name Jermym, which is really stupid, and reminds me of either "German", or "germ"-neither of which are appetizing for a hero's name-LOL. But I can overlook that. From the girls names-Amy, Clarice (ugh), and Sorcha (ugh-even though I loved Willow (Special Edition)), I think Ms. Dodd's one foible could be that she picks awfully stupid names-again, no biggie though.
   
   So, my vote for this book is a big thumbs up-but use your discretion as from the other reviews there are as many who hated it.
   
   But from me-4.5 stars.



4. The Barefoot Princess was an absolute joy to read. It's refreshing to read about an independent woman who's very smart and stays that way in the entire book.
   Princess Amy is a do-gooder type person. When she sees the injustice the people of Summerwind are suffering from their lord, Jermyn Edmonson, Marquess of Northcliff, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Amy, decides to kidnap the man!
   Jermyn, wakes up to find himself chained in a cellar! How degrading! At the same time he gets reaquainted with Ms. Victorine(co conspirator in kidnapping Jermyn) and meets Amy. And boy sparks do fly!
   Hope you read this awesome book!



5. In the earlier years, Dodd wrote excellent and mature stories. These last couple years her writing has become adolescent. This was the most silly and immature story. I could not finish reading the book. I'm done with Dodd. She has lost it!

5 comments about The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore.

1. This book was great! I read this whole book on July fourth and wouldn't even come down until I was done. It was one of Nixon's longer book (in my opinion longer books are the best) and it is possible to take your eyes off of it. It has some sick and twisted moments just like most kidnapping books do and a really surprising ending!



2. I really liked this story I read it around 15 years ago - it just popped into my head then so I wanted to see what others thought.
   Ever since reading it I have wanted to say something... Zac had her teeth marks in his finger!!! That would have been such awesome evidence.
   That's just what I wanted to say :)



3. "What are you doing? I'm Christina Lattimore. These people kidnapped me!" (Nixion, 1979, pg.123). "She worked this thing out to look like a kidnapping! She wanted to get the money from her grandmother! You saw her with the gun!" (Nixon, 1979, pg.123). Christina Lattimore is normal teenage girl. She goes to school, hangs out with her friends and like most teenagers she doesn't like her parents. One day while she went to open the front door to her house and noticed a piece of cell phone tape over the lock. She went and told her maid Rosella about it and when they came back down stairs it was gone. That night after dinner she went to her friend Lorna's house to hang out. She had to leave early to go home and as she's walking to the front steps someone steps out in front of her, covers her mouth and she bites them. The next thing she knows she wakes up in a cold basement on a cot. She has no idea where she is. The door at the top of the steps opens and a man comes in and tells her to sign a piece of paper but she wont so he leaves her there and goes back upstairs. As Christina is in this basement she does many things to try and get out. Like as the man is downstairs with her she gets up and runs for it but that doesn't work, she gets a hinge from the furnace door and tries to opens the lock with it but that also doesn't work and she tries to pound the window for help but again that doesn't work. Then she finds a way to listen in on her two kidnappers. She learns that if you put your head in the furnace, that's doesn't work, there is an open vent and you can hear everything that they are talking about. She learns the names of the kidnappers, Zach and Loretta. One day Zach comes down and tells her to come upstairs with her because she is leaving soon. When they get upstairs he makes her get a glass of water and drink it, turn the light switches on and off, touch door handles and turn the TV on and turn channels. Then he has her take a shower and change her clothing that he stole from her house. Loretta comes in to watch her as she watches TV and Zach runs somewhere quickly. When he comes back he calls for Loretta because he has the ransom money. The police come in yelling, Loretta, who is holding a gun throws it at Christina to hold. The police come in and arrest everyone. Zach tells the police that's Christina planned all of this to look like a kidnapping. Christina is so surprised, she knows she didn't do it but now there is evidence everywhere that she was in the house like a normal person not as a person who was kidnapped. I'm going to leave the ending for you to read and find out if Zach and Loretta were ever caught. I really liked this book because it was a quick book to read because it was interesting and kept your attention so you never wanted to put it down. I have a hard time being able to stay focused on one thing for a while unless it is really interesting and this was a book that could keep my attention making me want to keep reading and find out what is going to happen. I'm also the kind of person who hates a book where it takes three chapters to get where the book starts to get good I like when it gets right into the interesting stuff and this is that kind of book. This book is a mystery book and if you like mystery's or murder mystery's this book is for you and even if you don't like to read these kinds of books I encourage you to try to read this book and see if you like it and if you still don't that's ok but at least you tried.
   
   ~ By: Lauren A. Burke



4. The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon is a young adult mystery. Joan Lowery Nixon has written more than 130 books. She is the only four-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best young adult mystery.
   
   The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore is about a girl named Christina who is kidnapped. The person who kidnaps her sneaks up on her in the dark while she is coming home. Christina is kept in an old basement where she struggles to stay alive. The odd thing is that the people who kidnapped Christina feed her and let her take a bath and let her change clothes. When Christina is found and returns home, her parents think that she planned her own kidnapping. Christina tries to prove that her side of the story is true. Will she or will she fail?
   
   I would recommend it to people who are ages 11 to 15. The book is both mysterious and suspenseful. I really enjoyed it.
   
   -- Madison Bakri



5. Helplessness defined my reading experience for this novel. Christina Lattimore is likable main character, and the reader follows as she spends chapters two through eight (pages 21-202) indignant and helpless. Over half the novel I didn't enjoy, because I empathized too much. This reminded me of Misery; the main character also suffers a life-changing psychologically torturous experience.
   
   Christina does overcome her adversity, so the novel makes three stars. Joan Lowery Nixon won an Edgar award ('Juvenille') for this in 1980. Highly recommended to me, but NOT by me. The combination of suspense and helplessness made it mediocre reading, and I'd avoid it unless you like psychological mysteries. If so, don't let the young adult label stop you; I found the mystery itself sophisticated despite disliking the emotional undertones.

5 comments about The Abduction.

1. i was not familiar with this author but someone told me to read this book. i will tell you that this was one of the best books i have read in a long time. wonderfully written.



2. I've looked through the other reviews, which seem to be either five star or one star reviews. I am somewhere in the middle.
   
   The readers who complained that too many coincidences are needed to make the plot work are correct. I also agree that the behavior of most of the characters is exaggerated (each in his or her particular way) beyond what is believable.
   
   That said, I nevertheless really enjoyed the story up until the point where I could see the explanation and the remainder of the story taking shape. Then I lost some momentum, but still enjoyed the finish.
   
   One techical but to me recurrent and annoying error: Every time a character wants to know the location of another, he or she says "Where is she at?" The first time I thought it was deliberate on the part of the author, to have that character speak that way, but when all the characters did it.... Where the heck is the editor?!!



3. I enjoyed Mark Gimenez's first novel, THE COLOR OF LAW, despite the fact that the legal plot was completely unbelievable (I should know since I am an attorney myself). My reaction to Gimenez's second offering, THE ABDUCTION, is identical -- this book is borderline ridiculous, but it's fairly entertaining for what it is.
   
   THE ABDUCTION deals with a kidnapping of a small child, but quickly spins into a over-the-top mess involving a massacre in Vietnam, a high-profile political assassination, and a conspiracy within the FBI. Most of the characters are pretty much caricatures -- the Bill Gates nerd, his domineering wife, the grizzled war veteran -- you get the picture. If you're looking for a realistic plot with subtle, finely textured characterization, this novel will be a major letdown.
   
   Still, Gimenez knows how to entertain. This novel has a lot of comedy, and I suspect Gimenez doesn't take his plot too seriously. The plot moves forward quickly, the dialogue is snappy, and I rarely found the book boring. Gimenez's heart is in the right place, and his books have an upbeat moral message that I find refreshing in a time of such rampant cynicism.
   
   So THE ABDUCTION is an okay beach read, the kind of light entertainment that you will most likely forget a week later. Gimenez probably has the talent to become the next Harlan Coben, but he needs to makes his plotting and characterization more realistic before reaching that next level.



4. When I found out that Gimenez had written another book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. However, I have just finished reading the book and can't say I was very impressed with it. The plot was there but fairly predictable after a certain point. Also, most of the main characters were too exaggerated to be real.



5. This was my first Gimenez book. It won't be my last. Very clever plot manipulation. Loved the coincidences that worked out the "plan." I didn't want to put the book down once I had begun. You don't want to miss this one.