kidnapping

The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore
$5.95
This is the first of Joan Lowery Nixon's books that I have read and it was pretty good. It was a quick, easy read and holds your interest. The premise and story line are good and well crafted. The writing is, well, simple in structure and geared toward young adults but that does nothing to water down the book at all, at least for me. Overall, a good little mystery. The main character is sympathetic, the author builds suspense, and there is a satisfying conclusion. What more do you want?

Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation
$18.95
Some people wonder how to prevent child abduction/abuse, so they'd like to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and what kind of man Devlin was. More importantly, this book fully answers and explains all the psychological reasons why Shawn didn't escape (hence the title). The author seems to have drawn together many published sources and tied it together in a way the general public can understand and learn from.

Some of us became extremely interested in this case; we debated it, discussed it, and kept track of every new development via the Court TV forums and newsfeeds. We rallied behind the family & their cause, and rejoice in their recoveries. For people like us, this book has nothing new except for psychological information and interviews with experts. Very few, if any, new interviews have been done (none with the families), and all quotes are familiar from items we've already read and discussed.

Still, if this book helps the general public understand better how a victim of any age can be made psychologically unable to escape even when physically able to do so, it will serve a purpose. It also updates the public on Shawn's journey from victim to survivor.

Stolen in the Night: The True Story of a Family's Murder, a Kidnapping and the Child Who Survived
$6.99
While the color photos and captivating headlines always turn my head at the bookstore, I usually know better than to pick up a true crime book. I went against my better judgment when I decided to read Stolen in the Night: The True Story of a Family's Murder, a Kidnapping and the Child Who Survived by Gary C. King and I really wish I wouldn't have.

Stolen in the Night is the story about Joseph Edward Duncan, a sexual psychopath, and how he kidnapped two children in Idaho and brutally murdered the rest of their family. The story itself is as shocking and disturbing as it's advertised to be. However, the presentation of that story could be much better.

This is where I blame true crime novels in general. They typically read like a long, drawn-out newscast. Sure, there are plenty of details, but not necessarily the details readers are craving to learn. For example, it doesn't really matter to me what the chief investigator of a case had for breakfast. In a fictionalized story, this minute detail might help develop the character and could be seen as a necessary contribution, but in a book like this, it's merely thrown in amongst other facts to take up space. On top of that, there is usually no flair to the writing. The words are informative, yet stale, and the reader ends up feeling like he's just finished a news article or blurb from a textbook. I have to say that in this area, Gary C. King excelled. His writing was not as poor as some of the other true crime authors I have read. He did his best to use vivid vocabulary here and there, which made it possible for me to finish the book instead of throwing it away after the first one hundred pages.

My recommendations about this book vary based on your purpose. If you simply want to learn what happened with this psychopath and the kids he kidnapped, but don't want to wade through a bunch of irrelevant information, I would simply find a news article about the crime. It'll be easier to read, give you all the information you want, and take up a whole lot less of your time! If you enjoy knowing every intricate detail of every conversation, theory, and investigation, then you might enjoy this book. Like I said previously, its biggest fault is that it's written for the true crime genre. Gary C. King has talent, but as a reader, I think it could be put to much better use than writing glorified news reports.

Kidnapping: An Investigator's Guide to Profiling
$59.95
Kidnapping: An Investigator's Guide to Profiling is based on a three-part analysis of 100 randomly selected kidnapping cases prosecuted in the United States that have survived Supreme Court appeal. The results of the analysis are incorporated into each chapter as part of the exploration of the inductive profile of each kidnapping subtype, thereby offering a statistically based tool that can inform investigative strategies and the allocation of limited resources. The analysis includes standardized input from four levels of professional law enforcement including a forensic psychologist, a crime analyst, a detective, and a city prosecutor.

In addition to chapters pertaining to the kidnapping subtypes, an introductory chapter is dedicated to the evolution of U.S. kidnapping law and intervention strategies, including a review of relevant case law (Megan's Law, Amber Alert). Appendices include a concise summary of all the subtypes and Tabletop Drills that law enforcement can use to support potential kidnapping victims prepare and better respond to a kidnapping threat.

* A statistically-based tool that can inform investigative strategies in kidnapping cases
* An essential resource for any professional who regularly deals with the subject of kidnapping
* Contains appendices that provide a concise summary of the statistical information presented in the text