KIDNAPPED
Standalone(Warning—this may contain spoilers!!)
Wealthy Graydon Fletcher is the patriarch a large family of adopted and foster children, most of whom still live near him in Las Piernas. Opening their home to the abandoned, Graydon and his late wife made education a primary focus for their children, and used innovative methods to encourage them to reach their full potential. Fletchers now hold positions of power throughout Las Piernas society. The Fletcher Academy is one of the top private schools in the state.
Richard Fletcher, a graphic artist, is discovered bludgeoned to death in his studio. Missing are his three-year-old daughter, Jenny, and his rebellious stepson, Mason. Hours later, Mason is found miles away, naked and unconscious—apparently having taken an almost fatal combination of alcohol and drugs—in the wreckage of his car in the San Bernardino mountains. Police find plenty of evidence to implicate him in his stepfather's murder, but no sign of Jenny. Although his mother and his brother Caleb steadfastly believe in his innocence, Mason is swiftly convicted of killing both his stepfather and sister.
Five years later, Mason's brother Caleb still holds out hope: that Jenny will be found alive, and that Mason's conviction will be overturned. Caleb has made a point of studying forensic science in college in response to his family's tragedy.
One rainy day brings about two events that may change everything for the Fletchers: First, Irene Kelly publishes an article in the Express highlighting custodial abduction cases in Las Piernas. Her phone rings nonstop with tips, grieving parents, and suspicious theorists—calls that will come to haunt her. Second, she is sent to a muddy slope where Caleb is helping forensic anthropologist Ben Sheridan to recover newly discovered remains—those of a man who has supposedly been living in hiding with his son—a boy he kidnapped two years ago from his ex-wife. But if the man has been dead all this time, where is the boy?
You can read more about Kidnapped on Jan's blog:
(warning: spoilers possible in all)
Brief Intro
Part One
Part Two
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PRAISE
"The many plot twists should keep readers turning the pages..."—Publishers Weekly
"Burke's 12th book proves that an author can write a refreshingly original mystery devoid of the genre's usual trappings. Not to be missed."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"...enthralling...author Jan Burke again shows her mastery at plotting, character development and boundless energy in ratcheting up suspense while keeping a center of realism. Kidnapped expertly explores the corruptive forces of money, power and sibling rivalry....Burke's crisp writing steers the plot on a steady course and her affinity for creating believable, fully dimensional characters thrust into realistic situations succeeds multiple times in Kidnapped."
—Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel
"...Kidnapped is a sizzling story of betrayal, revenge and murder, with enough twists to fill a bag of pretzels.... [A] terrific novel. It's smart and beautifully plotted, and you care what happens to the characters...."
—Globe & Mail (Canada)
"Jan Burke is one of the leading stars of suspense fiction and she doesn't disappoint with her latest, Kidnapped. It is a fast-paced, superbly plotted work."
—Green Bay Press-Gazette (Wisconsin)
