Steal Away

By Katharine Clark

Book Overview

"David, something awful has happened to your mother and your father," said the stranger in the van. "You're in great danger. You've got to come with us. . . ." Rachel Stark is about to live every... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449002764
• ISBN13: 9780449002766
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Fawcett
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

A gripping Read and All Too Real

I first read this book because I like the author's mysteries under her nom-de-plume (Kate Flora) long before I had kids of my own and like some reviewers dismissed the 'psychic' feelings of the main character Rachel as literary hooey and an elegant plot device. Now a parent of two-year-old twins, I find the same feelings within myself and, when re-reading it on a sunny afternoon while the twins played, found myself shuddering and staring at every strange van in our neighborhood. In her non-literary former day job, I'm certain Ms. Clark had been exposed to every sort of child trauma and tragedy and she writes about them with the compassion of an insider to the human drama that unfolds. As I write this, I am remided of the two Amber Alerts that were issued within the past week and how every parent needs to be aware. But aside from the reality of what she writes, I found myself turning pages wanting to see what happens next and if all would end well (as it usually does in fiction if not in real life).

What a satisfying read this book is.

I just finished STEAL AWAY, and I can't say enough about how satisfying a read it is. The writing is fast-paced as you would want in a well-done suspense. Yet, you want to slow yourself down to appreciate the beautifully evoked characters and well-crafted prose that make this book successful as both a thriller and a piece of literature. This ought to be the author's break-out book. It surely will be one of the hits this season.

A real page-turner.

Don't start reading Katherine Clark's STEAL AWAY if you have pressing responsibilities because you won't be able to put it down. Katherine's portrayal of a mother in search for her lost child is both chilling and believable, and the mother, Rachel, is very real--she's flawed, and she knows it, but nothing is going to stop her until she finds her son. The book pulls the reader back and forth between two compelling questions: why did David get kidnapped and will Rachel find him in time? It's great.

As a father, this book scared the bejeebers outta me!

I love a book that scares me this way (knowing it's not true and it isn't happening to me) and Steal Away kept my eyes glued to its pages from beginning to end. These were real people in a really desperate situation. Well plotted, well drawn, just an excellent read. If you miss this one, you're really missing something wonderful.

Suspense and realism from start to finish!

Terrific! When some copyeditor wrote 'compelling' on this jacket flap, they weren't kidding. And a genuine cliffhanger ending. I enjoyed every page. Oh, and I liked the way the antagonists discovered the ... well, I'd better not say for fear it'll sppoil the story for other readers. Very clever. (Oh these antagonists are sooo devious.) Personally, I recommend that everyone in the USA and Canada read this book (other countries are invited, too) if they want a really super story with super-real characters. I liked Rachel, the protagonist and I think every reader will identify with her -- like her, root for her, want everything to come out all right. And there are other characters, some of whom I dislike (ranging from mild distaste to downright contempt) but this is what the author intended, so I guess that helped make it a better story.