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Even Steven
A couple that longs for a child of their own stumbles into an apparent kidnapping attempt while camping and suddenly finds themselves in custody of a boy. By the author of Nathan's Run and At All Costs.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
86 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
John Gilstrap
79 books1,215 followersA little bit about my background... I've always been a closet-writer. As a kid, I lived for the opportunity to write short stories. I was the editor of my high school newspaper for a while (the Valor Dictus, Robinson High School, class of 1975), until I quit ("You can't fire me! I quit!") over a lofty First Amendment issue that seemed very important at the time. My goal, in fact, was to become a journalist in the vein of Woodward or Bernstein. Okay, I confess, I wanted to be Woodward; Robert Redford played him in the movie, and chicks really dug Robert Redford.
I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1979, and armed with a degree in American history, I couldn't find a job. I ended up settling for a position with a little-noticed trade journal serving the construction industry. They called me the managing editor and they paid me food stamp wages. I hated it. About this time, I joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia, if only to find relief from the boredom of my job. Running about a thousand calls my first year with the department, I was hooked, and the volunteer fire service became an important part of my life for the next 15 years. In the early eighties, hating my job, I went the way of all frustrated liberal arts undergrads—back to graduate school. Earning a Master of Science degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California, I started down a whole new road. For the next decade and a half, I became an expert (don't you hate that word?) on explosives safety and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, I kept writing. I didn't tell anyone, of course, because, well, you just don't share artistic dreams with fellow engineers. They look at you funny.
My first novel, Nathan's Run, was in fact my fourth novel, and when it sold, it sold big. At a time in my life when things were going well—I was president of my own consulting firm—things were suddenly going very well. Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run two days after the first book rights were sold, and as of this date, the novel has been translated and published in one form or another in over 20 countries. With Nathan's Run in the can, as it were, I thought I might finally be on to something, but I didn't quit my "day job" until after I sold the book and movie rights to my second novel, At All Costs. I figured that while one-in-a-row might be luck, two-in-a-row was a trend. So, I started writing full-time.
More novels followed, and then a few screenplays. I was living the dream.
But I really didn't like it much. I learned pretty quickly that when you're born a Type-A personality, those extrovert tendencies don't go away just because you're practicing a craft you love. In fact, after just a couple of years of dream fulfillment, I was pretty friggin' bored with the company of my imaginary friends, so I did something that I've never heard a full-time artist do before: I went back to a day job. At first, it was just a matter of reactivating my consulting business, but then, in 2004, I was handed my ideal Big-Boy Job (that's what my wife calls it) working as the director of safety for a trade association in Washington, DC.
And I continue to write. In 2006, Six Minutes to Freedom was published to considerable acclaim. My first (and probably last) foray into book-length non-fiction, SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse, the only civilian of record ever rescued by the super-secret Delta Force. Thanks to Kurt's cooperation (he is co-author), I gained access to people and places that lifelong civilians like me should never see. The heroic warriors I met during that research turned out to be nothing like their movie stereotypes. These were not only gentlemen, but gentle men, who remained free of the kind of boasting and self-aggrandizement that I was expecting. They were supreme professionals, and very nice guys.
And through them I got the idea for my new series character, Jonathan Grave. He's fo
I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1979, and armed with a degree in American history, I couldn't find a job. I ended up settling for a position with a little-noticed trade journal serving the construction industry. They called me the managing editor and they paid me food stamp wages. I hated it. About this time, I joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia, if only to find relief from the boredom of my job. Running about a thousand calls my first year with the department, I was hooked, and the volunteer fire service became an important part of my life for the next 15 years. In the early eighties, hating my job, I went the way of all frustrated liberal arts undergrads—back to graduate school. Earning a Master of Science degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California, I started down a whole new road. For the next decade and a half, I became an expert (don't you hate that word?) on explosives safety and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, I kept writing. I didn't tell anyone, of course, because, well, you just don't share artistic dreams with fellow engineers. They look at you funny.
My first novel, Nathan's Run, was in fact my fourth novel, and when it sold, it sold big. At a time in my life when things were going well—I was president of my own consulting firm—things were suddenly going very well. Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run two days after the first book rights were sold, and as of this date, the novel has been translated and published in one form or another in over 20 countries. With Nathan's Run in the can, as it were, I thought I might finally be on to something, but I didn't quit my "day job" until after I sold the book and movie rights to my second novel, At All Costs. I figured that while one-in-a-row might be luck, two-in-a-row was a trend. So, I started writing full-time.
More novels followed, and then a few screenplays. I was living the dream.
But I really didn't like it much. I learned pretty quickly that when you're born a Type-A personality, those extrovert tendencies don't go away just because you're practicing a craft you love. In fact, after just a couple of years of dream fulfillment, I was pretty friggin' bored with the company of my imaginary friends, so I did something that I've never heard a full-time artist do before: I went back to a day job. At first, it was just a matter of reactivating my consulting business, but then, in 2004, I was handed my ideal Big-Boy Job (that's what my wife calls it) working as the director of safety for a trade association in Washington, DC.
And I continue to write. In 2006, Six Minutes to Freedom was published to considerable acclaim. My first (and probably last) foray into book-length non-fiction, SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse, the only civilian of record ever rescued by the super-secret Delta Force. Thanks to Kurt's cooperation (he is co-author), I gained access to people and places that lifelong civilians like me should never see. The heroic warriors I met during that research turned out to be nothing like their movie stereotypes. These were not only gentlemen, but gentle men, who remained free of the kind of boasting and self-aggrandizement that I was expecting. They were supreme professionals, and very nice guys.
And through them I got the idea for my new series character, Jonathan Grave. He's fo
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 30, 2019
Bobby and Susan want nothing more than to have a child of their own. Unfortunately a series of miscarriages has left them childless. Until the day when they are camping, and out of nowhere a naked, dirty, terrified little boy runs to them for help.
Immediately afterword a threatening armed man shows up, demanding the boy. Things escalate and the next thing you know, Bobby and Susan are speeding away from the body of the man that Bobby has shot. Who, by the way, turns out to be a cop. They leave with the boy. Who turns out to have been kidnapped. Should they go to the police and come clean? Will Bobby get fair treatment if he's killed a cop? Then—Susan begins to call the boy Steven, which is what they had planned to call their son when they had him. She seems to believe that he belongs to them and becomes outraged when Bobby points out that he isn't.
The other storyline is that of the boy's mother, whose husband has pretty much let him be kidnapped in order to by himself some extra time to pay off debts. April tries to pay off the debts to save her son before he is killed—but the kidnappers have no intention of returning him alive.
April is doing whatever she can to get her son back, including making a pact with the biggest and worst criminal in her town. He battles with the kidnappers—who don't actually know that the boy has escaped. Bobby and Susan are being investigated by the FBI for the dead body found at the campground, while trying to hide Steven. And the FBI and the police are trying to solve the crime.
Great book with lots of twists and turns. The bad guys are super bad, the good guys are well developed and appealing. Enjoyed very much!!
Immediately afterword a threatening armed man shows up, demanding the boy. Things escalate and the next thing you know, Bobby and Susan are speeding away from the body of the man that Bobby has shot. Who, by the way, turns out to be a cop. They leave with the boy. Who turns out to have been kidnapped. Should they go to the police and come clean? Will Bobby get fair treatment if he's killed a cop? Then—Susan begins to call the boy Steven, which is what they had planned to call their son when they had him. She seems to believe that he belongs to them and becomes outraged when Bobby points out that he isn't.
The other storyline is that of the boy's mother, whose husband has pretty much let him be kidnapped in order to by himself some extra time to pay off debts. April tries to pay off the debts to save her son before he is killed—but the kidnappers have no intention of returning him alive.
April is doing whatever she can to get her son back, including making a pact with the biggest and worst criminal in her town. He battles with the kidnappers—who don't actually know that the boy has escaped. Bobby and Susan are being investigated by the FBI for the dead body found at the campground, while trying to hide Steven. And the FBI and the police are trying to solve the crime.
Great book with lots of twists and turns. The bad guys are super bad, the good guys are well developed and appealing. Enjoyed very much!!
July 9, 2012
I had a harder time getting into this novel than with Gilstrap 's other works. The Martin characters were hard for me to relate to, especially Susan. The other characters were well-drawn, especially Samuel.
July 14, 2013
This is the 12th Gilstrap book I've read, each one as well-written and suspense-filled as the last. The man knows how to grip your heartstrings well as build tension with expert pacing and intriguing characters.
I've loved every book he's written and look forward to his next release.
Even Steven is Gilstrap at his best.
Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain
I've loved every book he's written and look forward to his next release.
Even Steven is Gilstrap at his best.
Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain
May 24, 2022
This was well written and suspenseful. A nice young couple that have been trying unsuccessfully to have children are camping in West Virginia when a kidnapped toddler runs into their campsite. The kidnapper is killed in a struggle to get the child back and the couple panic and run home. The story does well to weave their reactions as well as the FBI, park rangers, drug lords in Pittsburgh and the child's real mother to sort things out. I will read more from this author.
January 18, 2024
This was an odd novel--intense but sort of a long read too; gross but not bloody per se; different but derivative at the same time. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it or not. Even the ending was partly satisfying (almost a cliffhanger) and partly just sudden. This is the second Gilstrap novel I've read and I'm still not sure if they're worth my time.
December 1, 2019
Mmm... Not so much enjoyed it, story took too long with a rushed ending... Felt like i was watching a tv series
August 15, 2016
This is a haunting tale centering around a panicked little boy who runs screaming into a remote campsite on a cold spring night, the couple who find him, and an assorted cast of characters who all have an interest in him, mostly nefarious. Despite enduring unspeakable cruelty and living in confused squalor, the child is a charmer, a point on which several characters agree, be they villains or heroes.
Speaking of villains and heroes, those characteristics easily blur, with no one but the baby being fully good or fully bad. One of the most interesting side characters is a retarded man named Samuel, controlled by and obedient to his caretaker, whose only redeeming feature is that he does look after his brother. Samuel has learned to do as he is told without question, but eventually he starts, timidly at first, to think and make decisions for himself, and tries to protect the child he was ordered to kidnap.
The novel presents people in all their complexity, and the tangled relationships among largely good and predominantly bad people, with a few who seem constantly to teeter-totter on the fence, leaving the reader to admire the drug kingpin or dislike the model citizen in the moment. It also shows the efforts to which law enforcement agents at all levels go, and the risks they take to protect us all, the deserving, the innocent, the criminals, and the unknown, in the course of their everyday duties.
Speaking of villains and heroes, those characteristics easily blur, with no one but the baby being fully good or fully bad. One of the most interesting side characters is a retarded man named Samuel, controlled by and obedient to his caretaker, whose only redeeming feature is that he does look after his brother. Samuel has learned to do as he is told without question, but eventually he starts, timidly at first, to think and make decisions for himself, and tries to protect the child he was ordered to kidnap.
The novel presents people in all their complexity, and the tangled relationships among largely good and predominantly bad people, with a few who seem constantly to teeter-totter on the fence, leaving the reader to admire the drug kingpin or dislike the model citizen in the moment. It also shows the efforts to which law enforcement agents at all levels go, and the risks they take to protect us all, the deserving, the innocent, the criminals, and the unknown, in the course of their everyday duties.
January 6, 2013
This is the first book I've read by Gilstrap. I plan on adding him to the list of authors I'd like to read more of.
Gilstrap does a superb job of writing from different points of view and bringing them all together to weave a thrilling mystery.
Gilstrap does a superb job of writing from different points of view and bringing them all together to weave a thrilling mystery.
August 22, 2022
Critiquing when still reading. Susan and Bobby should surrendered themselves to the Police earlier, however, to make the story interesting they took that long to let all problems to happen.
will cont.. after finished reading.
will cont.. after finished reading.
January 17, 2015
Interesting premise, engaging, and well written. My only complaint is that he failed to tie up all of the loose ends at the end of the book.
September 20, 2016
Pretty good thriller.. No spoiling !!!!
December 19, 2020
I read this book for the second time after reading Writing the Thriller by Tricia Macdonald Skillman. It was 18 years after my first reading, so I remembered very little of the plot or the characters, and. since John Gilstrap was mentioned in and contributed to Writing the Thriller as an established thriller writer, I wanted to see how well one of his books fitted into the genre, and how Skillman's advice was applied. My conclusion was that it wasn't applied very well.
Reading Even Steven therefore left me with a somewhat higher opinion of Writing the Thriller, as I think that if some if the advice in there had been consistently applied, Even Steven would have been a better book.
Even Steven seems to belong to three of the sub-genres mentioned in Writing the Thriller: Psychological suspense, and Women and Children in Jeopardy suspense. There is also a certain element of Action/Adventure Suspense.
The psychological suspense is seen mainly in the first part of the book, where the characters spend a lot of time worrying about what might happen to them. The danger they are in is largely imagined future danger rather than actual present danger.
The basic plot is quite simple: Bobby and Susan Martin are on a camping trip in a nature reserve trying to work through their grief at the loss of a stillborn child. A child who has escaped from kidnappers comes into their camp[, chased by one of the kidnappers trying to recapture him. Bobby kills the kidnapper in a fight, discovers that he has a police badge on him, and they return home in a panic, taking the child with them. Susan sees him as a heaven-sent substitute for their lost son Steven, and names the kidnapped child after him.
The child had been kidnapped by contractors to gangsters as an incentive for his stepfather to pay his drug and gambling debts and his mother, April Simpson, is unable to pay them. She pleads with the gangsters who don't care how she gets the money, and will allow her son to die in the wilderness if they don't get the money -- the debt, plus interest, plus expenses -- the fee paid to the sub-contractors who carried out the actual kidnapping, one of whom had been killed by Bobby Martin, leaving only his mentally defective brother, Samuel, who has now lost the child and must try to get him back.
There are several info-dumps of the backstories of the characters. The backstory is important in a psychological thriller to explain the motivation of the characters. The problem is that a lot of this psychological build-up is simply glossed over in the end. Throughout the story the reader is impressed with Susan's psychological need which leads her to see the kidnapped child as her own and her fear and refusal to give him up, but the reader is not told how this was resolved.
There are long descriptions of Samuel's mental state, and how he alternates between being more stupid and less stupid than he looks, but in the end we learn nothing of his fate. The daughter of one of the gangster leaders is injured in a scene in which her father is killed by a rival gang leader, but we learn nothing of her fate either.
The problem is that far more information is given about some of the characters than is needed to explain their motivation and behaviour. If we are told about them in that much detail we begin to care about what happens to them, but then the author simply drops them without explanation. The book either needed a couple of extra chapters to tie up the loose ends, or it should have been cut by about a third, sparing the reader the unnecessary psychological details.
Reading Even Steven therefore left me with a somewhat higher opinion of Writing the Thriller, as I think that if some if the advice in there had been consistently applied, Even Steven would have been a better book.
Even Steven seems to belong to three of the sub-genres mentioned in Writing the Thriller: Psychological suspense, and Women and Children in Jeopardy suspense. There is also a certain element of Action/Adventure Suspense.
The psychological suspense is seen mainly in the first part of the book, where the characters spend a lot of time worrying about what might happen to them. The danger they are in is largely imagined future danger rather than actual present danger.
The basic plot is quite simple: Bobby and Susan Martin are on a camping trip in a nature reserve trying to work through their grief at the loss of a stillborn child. A child who has escaped from kidnappers comes into their camp[, chased by one of the kidnappers trying to recapture him. Bobby kills the kidnapper in a fight, discovers that he has a police badge on him, and they return home in a panic, taking the child with them. Susan sees him as a heaven-sent substitute for their lost son Steven, and names the kidnapped child after him.
The child had been kidnapped by contractors to gangsters as an incentive for his stepfather to pay his drug and gambling debts and his mother, April Simpson, is unable to pay them. She pleads with the gangsters who don't care how she gets the money, and will allow her son to die in the wilderness if they don't get the money -- the debt, plus interest, plus expenses -- the fee paid to the sub-contractors who carried out the actual kidnapping, one of whom had been killed by Bobby Martin, leaving only his mentally defective brother, Samuel, who has now lost the child and must try to get him back.
There are several info-dumps of the backstories of the characters. The backstory is important in a psychological thriller to explain the motivation of the characters. The problem is that a lot of this psychological build-up is simply glossed over in the end. Throughout the story the reader is impressed with Susan's psychological need which leads her to see the kidnapped child as her own and her fear and refusal to give him up, but the reader is not told how this was resolved.
There are long descriptions of Samuel's mental state, and how he alternates between being more stupid and less stupid than he looks, but in the end we learn nothing of his fate. The daughter of one of the gangster leaders is injured in a scene in which her father is killed by a rival gang leader, but we learn nothing of her fate either.
The problem is that far more information is given about some of the characters than is needed to explain their motivation and behaviour. If we are told about them in that much detail we begin to care about what happens to them, but then the author simply drops them without explanation. The book either needed a couple of extra chapters to tie up the loose ends, or it should have been cut by about a third, sparing the reader the unnecessary psychological details.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2018
a husband and wife want a baby but cant seem to bring one to term. they went camping. a 3 yr old boy appeared, very dirty. a man showed up claiming to be the dad but they didn't believe him. a fight between the husband and man resulted in the mans gun going off and he was killed. when the husband checked the wallet he found a cops id. they got scared, packed up, took the boy and went home. but on the way the husband called the police to tell them there was a body in the woods. the cops found a pit where the man was going to put the baby along with jars of baby food
turned out the man was not a cop, him and his 'slow' brother were doing a job for a drug dealer. a womans husband owed money, they took her son until he could come up with what they owed him. she sold her car but it was not enough money. she went to another drug dealer who threatened them and told them to give the baby back. she went to rob a store to get the $ but backed out. she was chased, caught and arrested.
meanwhile the wife named the boy after her dead baby. she doesnt want to give him back. the husband went to a lawyer to get advice to get him out of this mess and the wife is not helping.
she took the kid shopping, came home. they had a fight, then they all went to sleep
meanwhile the fake cops brother found their address from the camping receipt they lost in the woods. he went to their house and took the boy after fighting with them. they figured he was going back to the woods and went there. he had a gunfight with the bad drug dealers, the husb and wife got the boy. the husband ended up in the freezing cold river with the boy. the rangers and fbi came at the last second and rescued them, but one ranger and the fake cops brother died. the mom of the boy got him back and charges against her for trying to rob the store were dropped. the fbi agent liked her. the couple was trying to get preg again
turned out the man was not a cop, him and his 'slow' brother were doing a job for a drug dealer. a womans husband owed money, they took her son until he could come up with what they owed him. she sold her car but it was not enough money. she went to another drug dealer who threatened them and told them to give the baby back. she went to rob a store to get the $ but backed out. she was chased, caught and arrested.
meanwhile the wife named the boy after her dead baby. she doesnt want to give him back. the husband went to a lawyer to get advice to get him out of this mess and the wife is not helping.
she took the kid shopping, came home. they had a fight, then they all went to sleep
meanwhile the fake cops brother found their address from the camping receipt they lost in the woods. he went to their house and took the boy after fighting with them. they figured he was going back to the woods and went there. he had a gunfight with the bad drug dealers, the husb and wife got the boy. the husband ended up in the freezing cold river with the boy. the rangers and fbi came at the last second and rescued them, but one ranger and the fake cops brother died. the mom of the boy got him back and charges against her for trying to rob the store were dropped. the fbi agent liked her. the couple was trying to get preg again
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2018
I can say that this book is well written. Despite the plot of the story is somewhat similar to what you would watch in my local television series. The scene gets complicated with a lot of things happening at the same time and I loved that. It keeps me imagining what else could go wrong next. But what I really liked about this book is the way Gilstrap wrote the scenes that made me admire him more. It's amazing how he described a particular murder while playing with words and successfully delivered it the way it's supposed to be.
December 21, 2021
This book clinches it. John Gilstrap is now, officially, one of my favorite authors. Bobby and Susan Martin are on a recovery camping trip. The baby they wanted for so long was stillborn and there is a lot of healing to do. Then, out of the night comes a filthy 3 year old boy, screaming and terrified. And behind him comes a man with a gun. Bobby wrestles the guy in a fight to save their lives and ends up killing him. The pocket of the dead man reveals he was a cop. And, that's in just the first 25 pages!! John Gilstrap now has three novels. Go get one now and read it.
January 10, 2020
This is a stand alone book. Bobby and Sarah Martin are camping in the Catoctin national forest when they find themselves caught in the middle of a kidnapping. They end up in possession of a 2 year old boy and the FBI suspecting them of murder. The author takes great pains to describe the main characters' thought processes, so the book, though exciting, takes longer to read.
October 8, 2020
A kidnapping, a killing, a couple grabbing a toddler and taking him home, a gang leader helping to get a woman's child back, FBI, and Park Rangers all within the first couple chapters.
Another well written story by John Gilstrap, but the content wasn't my cup of tea is the only reason that I rated this a 3 star
Another well written story by John Gilstrap, but the content wasn't my cup of tea is the only reason that I rated this a 3 star
December 15, 2024
A prosperous childless couple is out camping to heal from the latest miscarriage when a dirty toddler runs out of the woods into their camp and Susan's arms. Chased by a big angry man, a fight ensues with Bobby killing him. Wife says "God sent the boy." The boy's mother is frantic and out of options. A little far fetched but worth the read. 3.7 rounded up.
July 23, 2017
Good action novel, with steadily growing suspense. I was impressed most with the juxtaposition between the mother and the would-be mother of the kidnapped child, which John balanced incredibly well. The ending was wholly satisfying.
July 5, 2025
This book was just the thing for me. The entire story was less than 48 hours. It was told in a way that kept you wanting to read more. Fast paced and heart wrenching but a great action packed story
May 5, 2017
Enjoyed it up to a point. All the children stuff in it made me wanna puke. And the the ending? You still wanna have a kid with crazy cow? Hope you other books are better than this, Gilstrap.
May 28, 2017
This book from Gilstrap follows the kidnapping of a young boy and the various players in his abduction and the people who attempt to rescue him.
February 24, 2019
Even Steven
This is a well written novel. I gave Gilstrap's other novel
'Nathan's Run' a five star rating, and this one came close with a four. Hope he keeps writing.
This is a well written novel. I gave Gilstrap's other novel
'Nathan's Run' a five star rating, and this one came close with a four. Hope he keeps writing.
Read
April 17, 2020Very enjoyable.
February 3, 2022
Not bad for a book I randomly picked up on holiday. Easy read, with a number of ever evolving story lines. Kept me interested enough to find out what happened to everyone in the end
February 9, 2022
A very readable and enjoyable story. Several different storylines are included and then brought together close to the end.
Read
August 17, 2023It was a plausible idea for a book but poorly executed.
December 24, 2023
Even Steven
It was a wonderful, heartbreaking story about some good people who struggled against some bad people and triumphs in the end.
It was a wonderful, heartbreaking story about some good people who struggled against some bad people and triumphs in the end.
September 17, 2024
I was intrigued to add this short story into my collection. It ended up being a bit different than I thought the plot line would go, and heartfelt in end.
(This book is only 174 pages.)
(This book is only 174 pages.)
October 22, 2024
Made it to pg 86. So boring.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews