Taken (Blockbusters)

by Chris Jordan

Book Overview

No parent believes it can happen to them--their child taken from a suburban schoolyard in the gentle hours of dusk. But as widowed mother Kate Bickford discovers, everything can change in the blink of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778324680
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: MIRA
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.6" x 1.0" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Good Summer reading for action fans

I first read TORN and quite enjoyed this which introduces us to the Randall Shane character. However, the story is basically Kate Bickford's and she is the driving force in the nightmarish hunt for her abducted son while she herself is the prime suspect in a couple of murders. We're given adequate looks at the perceptions of each of the characters, but this is more for those who enjoy pulp style fiction along the lines of J. T. Ellison than it is for those looking for thoughtful well worked mysteries. Bottom line, this is fun reading although one will be occasionally struck by the tragic impacts on the key characters.

Not bad

I think the book is fast paced and well written. It's different than the usual books I read but I'd says it is comparable to Stephen Hunter's "Dirty White Boy". This is the first Jordan book I've read and I'm hoping Mr. Shane is a character in other books. Jordan's character development is fine by me and the book keeps you interested. Almost a cover to cover read in one sitting.

Could Be a Winner on the Tube

I'll be looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and you can tell that Mr. Jordan has worked hard trying to give his characters the personalities of people who might live next door to you, in Connecticut. His research into child abduction runs deep, deep enough to make you wonder, why is he so into this topic? No wonder he is writing under a pseudonym (or so it says on the jacket). His sleuth has some of the personality traits of TV favorites MONK and HOUSE, which is to say, canny network executives might well consider making a TV version of TAKEN, it could serve as a pilot for a series in which young people are ruthlessly taken away from their parents, and then the bizarre sleuth could be consulted and hired and then use his expertise to reunite parents and children. (In fact there's a character called "Dr. Munk," in a sly tip of the hat to two beloved eccentric TV heroes.) In these days of war, when young men and women are taken from their families and flown overseas to fight in the desert war, we are all seeking comfort in one way or another. Even though Kate Bickford doesn't have a son old enough to fight in the US Armed Services, he is old enough to be a child soldier in Rwanda or one of those places. When he disappears, at first she thinks that the coach, Sheriff Fred, may just be giving him "extra tuition." What she never suspects is that little Tomas has been snatched from her and likely as not, she will never see him again, or perhaps in the cemetery. What happens next is all about the spoilers, so I won't give it away. On the upside, Chris Jordan thinks as quickly on his feet as his namesake, Michael Jordan, and he is all over the court with this one. He can write individual scenes, such as this one, "Lyla's eyes shine with an unbearable, incandescent joy, or madness, or both." It leaves you guessing. "Clutching my hand, as if we are little girls about to visit the best dollhouse in the world, she leads me up the stairs and down the hall to her son's room." His narrator, Kate, is in touch with her own childhood in numerous ways, including reaching for metaphors. The downside is, although the story moves in surprising ways, you never really feel sorry for Kate, who does so many idiotic things that when they make the movie version, they should get Jessica Simpson to play her. Randall Shane however, survives his encounters with the Bickford family just fine. Maybe William Macy, or someone handsomer, like Dane Cook, might do just fine for a longrunning crime show. Too bad "TAKEN" was "taken" already (for a series title).

Enjoyable, Fast-Paced Read

If you like your thrillers fast-paced and leanly written, this novel is a good choice. The action pretty much starts right within the first few pages: Kate Bickford's 11-year old son has been kidnapped, and she is desperate to find him. Her quest to find her son involves a lot of twists and turns, and the author does a good job of keeping the action moving. I read this book in one sitting. The major downside of this book is the rather flat characterization. Kate Bickford, the central character, doesn't have much of a personality. I felt sympathy for her plight, but she ultimately seemed rather bland to me. I also found much of the dialogue in this book to be rather pedestrian. I recommend this novel to people who enjoy a good suspense story that is fast-paced and easy to read. But if you're looking for sparking dialogue or fully-developed characters, I would recommend checking out the work of Robert Parker or Harlan Coben instead.

character driven chilling tale

In Fairfax, Connecticut, widow Kate Bickford watches her eleven years old son Tomas stroke the winning hit in a Little League game. Afterward he goes to purchase a sundae while his mom goes to their minivan to wait for him. Her child never shows up. When a few minutes pass and no one knows where he went, a stunned Kate heads home assuming a communication mix-up, but Tommy is not who greets her. Inside her home waiting for her is Tommy's kidnapper, former Special Ops officer Steve Cutter, who coldly explains how to get her son back before he departs. Complicating matters for the frantic mother is Cutter has left her a mess in her basement freezer; the murdered corpse of Sheriff Fred Corso, the coach of Tommy's baseball team. The police believe Kate killed Fred in a probable lovers' quarrel and do little to search for Tommy as they do not believe her that her son is in trouble. Kate knows she needs professional help on her two-front war. She retains attorney Maria Savalo to deal with the cops and child abduction recovery expert Randall Shane to deal with Cutter; she needs both to rescue Tommy. Chris Jordon pens a tense character driven chilling tale that grips the audience from the moment that Kate meets Cutter who has already TAKEN her son, invaded her home, and murdered the sheriff. Readers initially believe that the kidnapper is only after some easy money and willing to kill to obtain it, but soon realize that his motive is much stronger and deeper than cash. Though the behavior of law enforcement seems odd with the alerts on child abductions, fans will consider this one of the short list novels for thriller of the year. Harriet Klausner