Finder's Fee

by Alton Gansky

'I know your secret if you defy me, then the world will know.' A terrifying phone call sweeps rich and powerful businesswoman Judith Find into a desperate search for a kidnapped boy. If she involves the authorities, the child will die ... and Judith's darkest secret to the world. Judith is teamed with a mysterious stranger with a carefully guarded secret of his own. But is Luke Becker an unwilling ally or an agent of the kidnapper? As Judith and Luke's mutual distrust wars against a growing attraction, the life of a small boy hangs in the balance. A boy unlike any other Judith has ever met. Eight-year-old Abel Palek will help Judith discover a faith and a life she has never imagined. But freeing him could cost her everything. Her career. Her reputation. And very possibly her life.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian

331 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Alton Gansky is the author of 30 books--24 of them novels, including the Angel Award winner Terminal Justice and Christy Award finalist A Ship Possessed. A frequent speaker at writing conferences, he holds a BA and MA degrees in biblical studies. Alton and his wife reside in Southern California.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read any of Alton Gansky's books. It had a tremendous story line and referred to parts of the Bible that were quite interesting. I always enjoy reading any book that promotes Jesus Christ and God's Word. It was another book that is hard to put down from the beginning to the end, even though you never found out the whole truth until you got to the last chapter which was the epilogue.

[Peter Younghusband · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the novels I have read of Gansky's, this is one of my favourites. Kept me interested from start to finish. Loved the twists especially in the last 20% of the novel.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interior decorator CEO and a reclusive financial investor are mysteriously blackmailed to rescue an abducted child. Although off to a suspicious and reluctant start, the pair use their skills, knowledge and experience to incrementally uncover the mystery...encountering danger and even more endangered children along the way. I enjoyed the story but the main characters didn't seem as interesting as the plot. Towards the very end they were much more likeable (especially when they had to fight with the bad guys and escape their clutches).

[Tyora Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Martha Stewart type, Judith Find is a successful business woman at the top of the interior decorating market. Life as she knows it changes drastically when a special package is delivered to her office. Inside the package is a cell phone with a cryptic message for her. Someone knows something about Judith that could destroy her reputation and everything she has built over the years. She has no choice but to follow the instructions, not knowing who sent the package.

Soon Judith is on a strange mission along side a stranger, Luke Becker. Like Judith, Luke is being blackmailed based on a deep dark secret from his past. Together, they must learn to trust each other as their normal lives spiral out of control all in order to save a very special boy. As they struggle to uncover truths behind the boy’s existence, Judith and Luke must find out how far they would go to protect something far more extraordinary than either could have imagined.

As a fan of the Madison Glenn series, I looked forward to Alton Gansky’s Finder’s Fee. One phone call in the first chapter sets the reader on tightly woven path involving two very different lives intersecting for a common purpose. People will do just about anything to keep the skeletons in their closet hidden.

I really enjoyed how far the author stretched his imagination, spinning a believable plot which involves genetics and technology. The novel is suspense, but has a "science fiction" feel to it. The strongest theme throughout the novel centers around how far can science go before it’s too far. Within that theme, faith is interwoven as these two characters are pushed to the brink emotionally and physically. Very cool reading experience.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery about two people harboring secrets who must save the lives of special children.

[Alyssa Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was extremely impressed with how fast the storyline began in this book; literally the first page. It kept building and building more tension with every turn. I was so excited to finish the book that I couldn’t do it fast enough. The suspense was amazingly written and the characters were all detailed perfectly and added to the story in perfect harmony. My only issue with the book... how fast it felt the ending was rushed. I feel as if the author was just ready to finish the book so she wrote down whatever she thought would be exciting and left it. We didn’t get multiple answers to multiple questions. Also, I would have liked to read more of a story line between Luke and Judith after the events on the yacht, but I guess that’s what we get. Overall, anyways, the book was good.

[CindyHunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps you wondering...

Will the secrets be revealed? Who are these children with lavender eyes? And how are they tied to Luke and Judith's past? And will they find the real Truth before it's too late. The story will keep you turning page after page. You won't want to put it down until you know the whole Truth. The book had a scenario that caused me to think of Angela Hunt's Truth Teller book.
Cindy Hunt

[Candee Hellberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me on the edge of my seat!

Great suspense! I could not put the book down. I wound up reading the whole book in less than two days. If you love Christian suspense, you'll love this book!

[T.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of Gansky's best novels. The two protagonists are round and believable. His books convey a clear message but in this novel he also warns the reader about the liberties scientists are taking to achieve their goals. Realistic, but unsettling as well.

[Kenneth Oldham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Alton Gansky

Very good story. Really enjoy Mr Gansky. Many books, when i pause, i never am interested enough to return to them. Not so with Alton Gansky. I try to get back to his story as quickly as i can, but reading my bible, and prayer, come 1st.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I liked this author (based on previous tries at his books) but this was really engaging.

[Laura Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Alton Gansky writes thought provoking stories, and this is one of them. However, the editing could be much better. Judith's stepson is called Marlin and Martin throughout the book. Annoying.

[Bobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad but not as good as his other books that I've read. The storyline was a bit unbelievable and a bit difficult to follow at times

[Jeanne Modisett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read I couldn’t put down. Involves kidnapping, corporate upheaval, murder and mayhem.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich and powerful, Judith Find has it all until she gets a phone call. The mysterious voice tells her the world will know the past she has kept hidden unless she helps rescue a kidnapped boy. Determined to keep her secret, she teams up with Luke, who was also threatened. Together they must find the boy before their past is revealed, ruining their future.

This is the first book I've read by Alton Gansky, and I enjoyed it. Judith and Luke are flawed but likeable characters, and the plot moves at a brisk pace, moving from one dramatic event to another as the two race across the country to find a little boy. The author does a great job of keeping the reader surprised at what happens next.

I also like the side story of fertility treatments and a possible repercussion of toying with genetics. Gansky played with the what ifs of genetic tampering, and a little more into that part of the story would have been interesting.
After reading this book, I plan to check out others by this author.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slapstick/Improbable situations

Luke and well-known Judith have been put together when both of them receive anonymous packages containing a threat message. If they don't comply, a boy dies.

I can picture Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Luke outside the doctor's house.

Although it moves along at a good pace and is not boring, this story doesn't do anything for me.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dashed through this book in less than 24 hours, even though I was already reading two other books when I picked it up. It was fantastic. I was hooked from the first page, and I could hardly put it down. If it wasn't for consistent missing commas (though I wasn't always sure they would have been necessary, so it could be a style thing), it would get five stars.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of his best, but Gansky knows how to create suspense. This is a good book to have in the car to read while waiting for the kids' activities to finish - interesting enough to make the time pass faster and easy to stop and start.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one Sunday afternoon; it's an easy read, though not as engaging as other Gansky novels. His books usually have an underlying thought-provoking element, and this one was less interesting to me than the others I have read.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book, then took a long time to get around to reading it! I really enjoyed it. There is definitely some suspense, an interesting plot, clean, believably flawed and lovable characters, and a good ending. Great book!

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find this book at all satisfying. The writing wasn't as good as I'd hoped and the plot lacked substance.

[Yvonne]

loved this book

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second book I've read by him. I doubt that I will read any more

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very exciting; suspenseful. Good plot.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, exciting to read but I didn't think that the ending and explanations regarding who, what why were very plausible; which is why I rated it only three stars.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book..read most of it on one day. Great suspense and nice plotting..will there be more? The author left a door open in the finale.

[Sherri Goffinet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have read better written books but enjoyed the story very much.