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Detective Jason Strong #1
Where's My Son?
What would you do if your son went missing? How far would you go to get him back?
***
Michael Barton comes home to find his infant son gone. There is no trace of the kidnappers, and the police have no leads. Michael is driven by a promise and he won't stop.
Detective Jason Strong led the task force to find Michael's son and has become his friend. But as Michael's darkness grows, Jason fears he may be the only one who can stop him.
It is a race against time, as the detective tries to stop the events that will change everyone, before it's too late.
***
Michael Barton comes home to find his infant son gone. There is no trace of the kidnappers, and the police have no leads. Michael is driven by a promise and he won't stop.
Detective Jason Strong led the task force to find Michael's son and has become his friend. But as Michael's darkness grows, Jason fears he may be the only one who can stop him.
It is a race against time, as the detective tries to stop the events that will change everyone, before it's too late.
154 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2012
706 people are currently reading
1377 people want to read
About the author
John C. Dalglish
66 books166 followersHello!
Thank you for stopping by.
The short story is I was born in Toronto, Canada. When I was 16, my family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and that is where I met my wife, Bev.
We've been married for 43 years and share our home in Southwest Missouri with 4 dogs, 3 cats, 8 chickens, a herd of goats. We have 3 sons and 12 grandchildren that keep us hopping.
I've been known to ride my motorcycle in nice weather, play golf in nice weather, and tend my garden in nice weather. In bad weather, I prefer to stay inside. :)
Thanks to the support of you, our readers, I've been able to devote full time to my writing. Bev does our cover designs.
We hope you our books are enjoyable and you'll let us know.
Please feel free to contact us at: jdalglish7@gmail.com or on Facebook
God Bless, John & Bev
Thank you for stopping by.
The short story is I was born in Toronto, Canada. When I was 16, my family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and that is where I met my wife, Bev.
We've been married for 43 years and share our home in Southwest Missouri with 4 dogs, 3 cats, 8 chickens, a herd of goats. We have 3 sons and 12 grandchildren that keep us hopping.
I've been known to ride my motorcycle in nice weather, play golf in nice weather, and tend my garden in nice weather. In bad weather, I prefer to stay inside. :)
Thanks to the support of you, our readers, I've been able to devote full time to my writing. Bev does our cover designs.
We hope you our books are enjoyable and you'll let us know.
Please feel free to contact us at: jdalglish7@gmail.com or on Facebook
God Bless, John & Bev
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
December 23, 2017
Wait to red this book.
Until after the holidays. Miscarriages, missing children, parents heartaches. Detective Jason Strong trying to solve a mystery of missing baby for ten years.
Until after the holidays. Miscarriages, missing children, parents heartaches. Detective Jason Strong trying to solve a mystery of missing baby for ten years.
August 18, 2012
This is the first book I have read by this author but it definitely won't be the last. This book is everything I look for in a book. I read it in one sitting because from page one I was hooked and could not put it down. It is only a short Novella but there is plenty of story.
The story has plenty of twists and turns and is fast paced. Every chapter ends leaving you wanting more.
Michael Barton returns home from work only to discover his one week old son is missing. This sparks a hunt but is very difficult as there have been no clues left whatsoever.
Michael Barton and Detective Jason Stron build up a strong relationship. I especially liked Jason's character and loved reading about him.
I also loved the description of the relationship between the Duncan family and Michael and Tammy's relationship.
The story follows the different lives of a few characters and every story is compelling. I think the author has done a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged. I also think that the author has paved the way for sequels with some of the sub characters, I would definitely be interested to find out what happens to some of the characters in the future.
This book has a lot of dark moments and throughout the story kept me guessing, I did not predict how it's story would end at all. To me this is a must in all mystery stories.
I don't want to spoil the story so I won't give anything away all I can say is this book is gripping and I had to stop for breath whilst reading it as it is a real page turner. I may also read this again in the future.
A strong five stars from me.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
The story has plenty of twists and turns and is fast paced. Every chapter ends leaving you wanting more.
Michael Barton returns home from work only to discover his one week old son is missing. This sparks a hunt but is very difficult as there have been no clues left whatsoever.
Michael Barton and Detective Jason Stron build up a strong relationship. I especially liked Jason's character and loved reading about him.
I also loved the description of the relationship between the Duncan family and Michael and Tammy's relationship.
The story follows the different lives of a few characters and every story is compelling. I think the author has done a fantastic job of keeping the reader engaged. I also think that the author has paved the way for sequels with some of the sub characters, I would definitely be interested to find out what happens to some of the characters in the future.
This book has a lot of dark moments and throughout the story kept me guessing, I did not predict how it's story would end at all. To me this is a must in all mystery stories.
I don't want to spoil the story so I won't give anything away all I can say is this book is gripping and I had to stop for breath whilst reading it as it is a real page turner. I may also read this again in the future.
A strong five stars from me.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
May 21, 2014
Fast pace, clean, suspense. Those three words describe this book. It did not take me long to read and at the end, I wanted more!
I'm not going to give any details, you will have to read it to find out what happens!
Honestly, I don't know how I would act if I was in either situation.
I would definitely read more of these books by Dalglish!
I'm not going to give any details, you will have to read it to find out what happens!
Honestly, I don't know how I would act if I was in either situation.
I would definitely read more of these books by Dalglish!
September 3, 2013
This was a fantastic find from an author I had never heard of. The pacing was perfect, and the characters believable. I would have liked to find out more about Detective Strong, and hopefully he will be more prominent in coming books. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
September 10, 2012
Katie’s mom had come with a gift for the nursery. As Katie was trying out the rocker, she was seized with an excruciating pain, followed quickly by another. Wade picked her up and Shirley, Katie’s mother, ran to start the van. This was their third trip to the hospital, but the first two babies didn’t survive. The baby was in terrible trouble. Even though she was only six months along, they were going to do a C-section. Wade and Katie looked at each other with anguish, tormented by the thought they could lose this baby, also.
When he saw his baby son, he was blue. The neo-natal team stabilized him and took him to NICU. All he could do was stand in shock, unable to think, afraid the baby wouldn’t make it. When he was allowed to see his wife, they held each other as the pain and agony racked their bodies, the tears flowing freely.
Michael was trying to get the perfect picture of Tammy with Kristian, their baby son. When she got up to go in the house, Michael headed off to work. Tammy changed Kristian’s diaper and laid him down for a nap. She knew she should take one while she had the chance, so she laid down on the couch and promptly fell asleep.
When Michael came home and saw her still asleep, he woke her. She thought he was home early, because the baby would have awakened her if he had been gone for hours. Michael went to the cracked door, pushed it all the way open and shouted for Tammy. Kristian was gone.
Tammy ran from room to room, but Kristian could not have gotten up and walked out by himself, he was only three months old. Michael called 911.
Jason, the police officer on duty, answered the call and immediately put out an Amber Alert. He believed the baby had been kidnapped and the parents were not involved. Two and a half years later and the investigation had gone cold. Seemed everyone, including Tammy, had given up ever finding Kristian.
They kept trying for another baby, but while trying, she found out she had ovarian cancer – the diagnosis was terminal. She had taken the blow with little reaction, pretty much having given up. She wouldn’t fight the disease. It was almost a relief to know she was going to die and end her torment.
Someone was going to pay. First his son was taken from him, now his wife. After she died, his mission – find his son.
4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others
Won in Goodreads First Read Giveaway. The author was gracious enough to sign it for me. Thank you. I was happy I won it and wanted to get to it right away. The cover caught my eye, led me through the open door to the horror on the other side, but the title is what drew me in first and it speaks for itself.
Where’s my son? is a quick read and I loved the book. As I was reading along, I thought it would be a three rating. The last half of the book was full of so much anguish and despair, I had to change it to a four rating. If it would have had more depth and detail it definitely would have been a five rating. It was well written, with few editing errors.
Can Jason Save Michael from himself?
.
Would you want revenge for the death of your wife and the loss of your child? What would you do if you felt you had nothing to live for? What would anger and rage drive you to do? Feeling an overwhelming sense of loss, with nothing left to lose and wanting to make them pay, could you stay rational? Would insanity take over? The ending broke my heart, even though I couldn’t see it happening any other way.
I read a lot of murder/crime/mystery books and consider it pretty hard to get to me. I love to watch CSI, Bones, NCIS and all the other murder shows on TV. For being a short book, it was so intense and heartbreaking, by the time I closed the cover, I had tears in my eyes.
Where's My Son? John C. Dalglish
When he saw his baby son, he was blue. The neo-natal team stabilized him and took him to NICU. All he could do was stand in shock, unable to think, afraid the baby wouldn’t make it. When he was allowed to see his wife, they held each other as the pain and agony racked their bodies, the tears flowing freely.
Michael was trying to get the perfect picture of Tammy with Kristian, their baby son. When she got up to go in the house, Michael headed off to work. Tammy changed Kristian’s diaper and laid him down for a nap. She knew she should take one while she had the chance, so she laid down on the couch and promptly fell asleep.
When Michael came home and saw her still asleep, he woke her. She thought he was home early, because the baby would have awakened her if he had been gone for hours. Michael went to the cracked door, pushed it all the way open and shouted for Tammy. Kristian was gone.
Tammy ran from room to room, but Kristian could not have gotten up and walked out by himself, he was only three months old. Michael called 911.
Jason, the police officer on duty, answered the call and immediately put out an Amber Alert. He believed the baby had been kidnapped and the parents were not involved. Two and a half years later and the investigation had gone cold. Seemed everyone, including Tammy, had given up ever finding Kristian.
They kept trying for another baby, but while trying, she found out she had ovarian cancer – the diagnosis was terminal. She had taken the blow with little reaction, pretty much having given up. She wouldn’t fight the disease. It was almost a relief to know she was going to die and end her torment.
Someone was going to pay. First his son was taken from him, now his wife. After she died, his mission – find his son.
4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others
Won in Goodreads First Read Giveaway. The author was gracious enough to sign it for me. Thank you. I was happy I won it and wanted to get to it right away. The cover caught my eye, led me through the open door to the horror on the other side, but the title is what drew me in first and it speaks for itself.
Where’s my son? is a quick read and I loved the book. As I was reading along, I thought it would be a three rating. The last half of the book was full of so much anguish and despair, I had to change it to a four rating. If it would have had more depth and detail it definitely would have been a five rating. It was well written, with few editing errors.
Can Jason Save Michael from himself?
.
Would you want revenge for the death of your wife and the loss of your child? What would you do if you felt you had nothing to live for? What would anger and rage drive you to do? Feeling an overwhelming sense of loss, with nothing left to lose and wanting to make them pay, could you stay rational? Would insanity take over? The ending broke my heart, even though I couldn’t see it happening any other way.
I read a lot of murder/crime/mystery books and consider it pretty hard to get to me. I love to watch CSI, Bones, NCIS and all the other murder shows on TV. For being a short book, it was so intense and heartbreaking, by the time I closed the cover, I had tears in my eyes.
Where's My Son? John C. Dalglish
August 19, 2012
Micheal Barton comes home to find his wife asleep and their son missing. Detective Jason Strong leads the investigation to find the missing infant. There are no clues and the police have no suspects. Strong befriends Michael as he checks in year after year with no progress in the case.
Michael's wife passes away after a short battle with cancer and he promises her he will find their son. Jason starts to worry about Michael as he starts to escape into himself and a dark frightening frame of mind. Jason is in a fight against time to save not only Michael but anyone that steps into his path as he frantically searches to find his son.
Dollycas's Thoughts
How far would you go to save your child?
Dalglish takes us down a road of the unimaginable journey of Michael Barton's life. He has lost his child and then his wife and he is full of anger. He stumbles upon a clue to the kidnapper and he just snaps. He has to get his son back, no matter the cost.
At 156 pages this is a fast read made even faster by the suspense and drama driven by this story. I was unable to put it down and read late into the night to the final word. The thunderstorm outside my window added another element to the story as if it wasn't gripping enough.
This is the first Jason Strong novella and I am ready for the second, the third and more. A fabulous debut! Watch this author. I know there are some full length suspense novels in his future!
Michael's wife passes away after a short battle with cancer and he promises her he will find their son. Jason starts to worry about Michael as he starts to escape into himself and a dark frightening frame of mind. Jason is in a fight against time to save not only Michael but anyone that steps into his path as he frantically searches to find his son.
Dollycas's Thoughts
How far would you go to save your child?
Dalglish takes us down a road of the unimaginable journey of Michael Barton's life. He has lost his child and then his wife and he is full of anger. He stumbles upon a clue to the kidnapper and he just snaps. He has to get his son back, no matter the cost.
At 156 pages this is a fast read made even faster by the suspense and drama driven by this story. I was unable to put it down and read late into the night to the final word. The thunderstorm outside my window added another element to the story as if it wasn't gripping enough.
This is the first Jason Strong novella and I am ready for the second, the third and more. A fabulous debut! Watch this author. I know there are some full length suspense novels in his future!
January 30, 2013
This was such a great book for a freebie. I could hardly lay it down. I had to for other needs to do, but was very taken up in the story. I liked the ending , but did not like the ending. I could not think how it could have been done in any other way to make all the characters end happy:(short of heaven) which I would like the correcting of all the harm and reaping of sin by others made right. Not true to life and both parties could never win completely. The main criminals got what they deserved, but in a chilling manner. One of the victims seemed to have reason for doing what he did, but to that extent? It really showed a slippery slope to madness. I kept wanting this character to listen to reason, but he pushed or totally went out of control. I was glad the other victims in this saga ended up winning, but what a price was paid in the whole drama. Great blood pumping action and the detective was impressive as many other reviews go into.
April 1, 2017
A very short fast paced book, but a great read I couldn't put it down
August 2, 2017
Exploitive plot of a psychopath, who's loss of his son and wife changes his life and mind to such extent he goes on a relentless murder campaign to avenge his suffering. This pitiful man and story are pathetic and only the suspense to find out how he fares at the conclusion, and also his son keeps the story alive. Not my type of read, just one step from a psychiatric ward, where these people should be treated and helped not more created through writing.
August 2, 2017
Suspenseful and sad story, that ended quite abruptly. I hope there'll be another that resolves the story.
July 5, 2018
A different suspense story
This story is easy to follow and yet cleverly suspenseful. The author,once again,tells his story in a clean an sex free manner.
Proving good books can be written without sex in them.
.
This story is easy to follow and yet cleverly suspenseful. The author,once again,tells his story in a clean an sex free manner.
Proving good books can be written without sex in them.
.
September 7, 2012
I finished this book last night and thought about it all night long. I might even have dreamed about it. This was a great story that could happen to anyone. I had to read it in one sitting and I was holding my breath the whole time. A couple adopt a baby after several failed attempts to conceive on their own. They have a blissful life for 10 years until someone starts contacting the father and saying he stole the man's son. This would make a great movie. I love this author and can't wait to read more by him.
April 21, 2013
A praise-worthy plot. Fast paced, slightly predictable, but a page turner because the story is so realistic. Two couples become victims when a team of kidnappers steals a newborn from one and offers what seems to be a legal adoption to the other. The author concentrates more on plot than character development, keeping the reader from mentally putting an identity to most characters. However, this creates a feeling that anyone could be sucked into a scam like this and themselves be on either team of victims.
May 15, 2017
Wow, this reads like a good Lifetime movie. I didn't understand why a nice family man like Michael could commit these acts, but then I began to realize that after all he'd been through, he was mentally disturbed. I held my breath the last 20 pages. I hope the next one in the series answers my questions. I'm glad to have discovered this author. I really like the way he described the love and joy of a baby, although the loss was heartbreaking. I believe Daglish must be a father himself.
February 27, 2013
Wow! I didn't expect this storyline! I loved it, although I was iffy on how it ended, but it could have gone either way and I really enjoyed this book nonetheless.
I also received this book as a Firstreads Winner and am so glad it was as good as I hoped it would be! Looking forward to the next book out by this author!!
I also received this book as a Firstreads Winner and am so glad it was as good as I hoped it would be! Looking forward to the next book out by this author!!
September 3, 2012
This was a very good fast paced read. I was surprised how the main character's personality literally turned upside down and the destruction it caused in a very tragic situation. It was a novella and I am anxious to read more of his work. The best part it was free on amazon...
August 4, 2012
Very dark and sad book.. Felt sorry for both parties in the book. But was a little too depressing for me.
April 5, 2016
Lots of suspense packed into this novella! Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to the next one!
November 10, 2012
The stars say it all ....could not put this one down !
November 24, 2012
I enjoyed this story. So sad how things turned out for Micheal.
May 19, 2014
Adoption gone wrong
Enjoyed reading a book that used "clean" dialogue, without the use of filthy cuss words. The plot was both unique and predictable, a delightful dichotomy.
Enjoyed reading a book that used "clean" dialogue, without the use of filthy cuss words. The plot was both unique and predictable, a delightful dichotomy.
October 11, 2017
I enjoyed reading this because the reader gets to empathize with the bad guy and the good guy doesn’t quite follow the rules. It was also a nice, quick read which was a big bonus.
November 9, 2025
Michael and Tammy Barton's three month old son is kidnapped, while his mother napped, in an illegal adoption scam.
Jason Strong is the describe assigned to the case. Over the ensuing 10 years he has continued to investigate the kidnapping and developed a relationship/ friendship with Michael, in particular and Katie. After Katie's death from ovarian cancer, he tried really hard to help Michael avoid excessive drinking.
On the 10 year anniversary, Michael finds a photo he had taken the day of the kidnapping. In the photo he sees a strange car and man outside his house. Enlisting Jason's help with a false story he gets the name and address of the driver...and the hunt for his son and justice begins.
How will Jason handle Michael's deception and what actions will each Jason and Michael take?
Jason Strong is the describe assigned to the case. Over the ensuing 10 years he has continued to investigate the kidnapping and developed a relationship/ friendship with Michael, in particular and Katie. After Katie's death from ovarian cancer, he tried really hard to help Michael avoid excessive drinking.
On the 10 year anniversary, Michael finds a photo he had taken the day of the kidnapping. In the photo he sees a strange car and man outside his house. Enlisting Jason's help with a false story he gets the name and address of the driver...and the hunt for his son and justice begins.
How will Jason handle Michael's deception and what actions will each Jason and Michael take?
May 22, 2020
This writer has no idea about tenses. He mixes up present tense and past tense in a single paragraph, sometimes in single sentence! Not just a couple of times but throughout the book. It irked me to no end and affected my enjoyment of an otherwise decent story.
Not sure if he does this with the rest of the installments, but I'm in no hurry to find out.
And where the hell was his editor? Btw, this is labeled "clean fiction". Having never read one before, I thought it just meant no cussing but turns out it's Christian fiction. But there's no overt religious stuff - just brief mentions of the protagonist, Jason Strong, praying. It shouldn't put off readers who do not like religious overtones (like me) in their fiction.
Not sure if he does this with the rest of the installments, but I'm in no hurry to find out.
And where the hell was his editor? Btw, this is labeled "clean fiction". Having never read one before, I thought it just meant no cussing but turns out it's Christian fiction. But there's no overt religious stuff - just brief mentions of the protagonist, Jason Strong, praying. It shouldn't put off readers who do not like religious overtones (like me) in their fiction.
February 15, 2019
Michael and Tammy's 2 month old son is kidnapped from their home. Michael never gives up hope that is son is alive, and after his wife's death, he will do whatever it takes to find Kristian.
This book is bonkers. The first half is very sad, and made me feel for both families. However, Michael goes absolutely psychotic in the second half and goes on a relentless killing spree until he gets the answers he's looking for. At that point everyone in the book becomes completely unrelatable. This had a good amount of suspense throughout though, which kept me entertained.
This book is bonkers. The first half is very sad, and made me feel for both families. However, Michael goes absolutely psychotic in the second half and goes on a relentless killing spree until he gets the answers he's looking for. At that point everyone in the book becomes completely unrelatable. This had a good amount of suspense throughout though, which kept me entertained.
August 2, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this more. &I got it for free, so it was worth reading.. but ahg! It was so unsatisfying! NOTHING got solved, leads were cut so there was no way to solve other cases. No connection was ever made between Jack's missing case and any other stream of missing childrens' cases..WHY? It's like the detectives are all superficial. It definitely went in a direction I wasn't predicting, though, and left me reading and reading without stopping. So kudos to the author for keeping me going.
October 12, 2018
What a question: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR SON WENT MISSING? HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO FIND HIM?
Michael Barton comes home to find his infant son gone. There's no trace of the kidnappers, and the police have no leads.
What a great story. I felt the tension, experienced the suspense. The ending - I didn't see that coming.
I look forward to reading more Dalglish books. Very good author. I love the "clean" mystery. I found a new series.
Michael Barton comes home to find his infant son gone. There's no trace of the kidnappers, and the police have no leads.
What a great story. I felt the tension, experienced the suspense. The ending - I didn't see that coming.
I look forward to reading more Dalglish books. Very good author. I love the "clean" mystery. I found a new series.
August 17, 2024
Where's My Son
It's my understanding that this is the author's first book so I'm sure he's still finding his way. I like mysteries. I like to try to figure Whodunit. This book is written mostly in the killers point of view. I DNF this book. I believe this is more like a psychological thriller than suspense. My decision to not finish this is mine, not the authors writing. It shouldn't stop someone else from trying it out.
It's my understanding that this is the author's first book so I'm sure he's still finding his way. I like mysteries. I like to try to figure Whodunit. This book is written mostly in the killers point of view. I DNF this book. I believe this is more like a psychological thriller than suspense. My decision to not finish this is mine, not the authors writing. It shouldn't stop someone else from trying it out.
March 11, 2018
I read another book by this author that was much more professionally written. This one was overly simplistic in plot; it had very basic vocabulary; and there were mechanical and grammatical errors. Over all, it had an amateur quality to it. The premise of the book was very intriguing and should have resulted in a better reading experience.
May 29, 2018
Yes it’s clean
Refreshing to find a author who gets it that there are a lot of readers who like clean books as in sex and violence.
Not having it did not dull this story.
I seldom give 5 stars. For me to 5 star a book it has to generally be book on good theology. No theology but it is clean and for that 5 stars
Refreshing to find a author who gets it that there are a lot of readers who like clean books as in sex and violence.
Not having it did not dull this story.
I seldom give 5 stars. For me to 5 star a book it has to generally be book on good theology. No theology but it is clean and for that 5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews