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Steal Away
"David, something awful has happened to your mother and your father," said the stranger in the van. "You're in great danger. You've got to come with us. . . ."
Rachel Stark is about to live every parent's nightmare, the strain of her troubled marriage intensified by a far greater her nine-year-old son, David, snatched off the street in broad daylight while on his way home from school. With no apparent motive. No immediate witnesses. And only one his red bicycle lying, as if dropped in a hurry, on the side of the road.
Now Rachel must summon up all her strength and channel every ounce of rage, terror, and anguish into a desperate search for David. Her rocky relationship with her husband, Stephen, will face the ultimate challenge--and a callous act of betrayal.
Into this precarious mix come Rachel's sister, Miranda, recently divorced and living under foot--a bombshell who conceals explosive secrets; the unfriendly Detective Gallagher, infuriating in his cold detachment--and unspoken attractions; and John Robinson of the Missing Child Foundation, a seeming saint who harbors his own hidden agenda.
Then there is Rachel's uncanny connection to her son, both a blessing and a curse--a link that takes the form of fleeting visions, where a deathly white and terrified child cries out to a mother who cannot reach him. . . .
A frantic search propelled by a tidal wave of panic. Real characters and raw emotions. Simmering resentments and shocking revelations. Katharine Clark weaves these elements into a richly compelling novel of a family in crisis in a story that twists and turns at a breakneck pace until its stunning conclusion.
Rachel Stark is about to live every parent's nightmare, the strain of her troubled marriage intensified by a far greater her nine-year-old son, David, snatched off the street in broad daylight while on his way home from school. With no apparent motive. No immediate witnesses. And only one his red bicycle lying, as if dropped in a hurry, on the side of the road.
Now Rachel must summon up all her strength and channel every ounce of rage, terror, and anguish into a desperate search for David. Her rocky relationship with her husband, Stephen, will face the ultimate challenge--and a callous act of betrayal.
Into this precarious mix come Rachel's sister, Miranda, recently divorced and living under foot--a bombshell who conceals explosive secrets; the unfriendly Detective Gallagher, infuriating in his cold detachment--and unspoken attractions; and John Robinson of the Missing Child Foundation, a seeming saint who harbors his own hidden agenda.
Then there is Rachel's uncanny connection to her son, both a blessing and a curse--a link that takes the form of fleeting visions, where a deathly white and terrified child cries out to a mother who cannot reach him. . . .
A frantic search propelled by a tidal wave of panic. Real characters and raw emotions. Simmering resentments and shocking revelations. Katharine Clark weaves these elements into a richly compelling novel of a family in crisis in a story that twists and turns at a breakneck pace until its stunning conclusion.
- GenresFiction
358 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 1998
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2024
Rachel Stark, who does illustrations for childrens' book faces every parents nightmare..her son has been kidnapped, while riding his bike home from school. Rachel's sister, recently divorces, suddenly coming into the picture is not much help for Rachel, Why was David kidnapped, was there a reason he was taken, and not anyone else? Who is David "real" father, and would he have reason to kidnap his biological son?
October 12, 2020
Riveting
Almost unbearable suspense. Families at their best, and their worst. Artfully woven together into a novel you can't put down.
Almost unbearable suspense. Families at their best, and their worst. Artfully woven together into a novel you can't put down.
March 7, 2015
In Steal Away, Katherine Clark shows clearly what a mother goes through when her son is missing. For example, on page 10 it shoes "my child...my son...he's missing". Basically it's saying that something terrifying happened to Rachel's son David or someone has taken him. This points to the fact that anything can happen to someone in the blink of an eye. It clearly suggests that it is sorrowful to see a mother go through stress when something bad has happened to the one they love.
In the story, Clark's diction to the situations really define what suspense is. To illustrate this idea, Clark shows on page 1 and 2, "David, something awful has happened to your mother and father....you've got to come with us." According to the quote, that was one of the main setbacks in the story because if David's parents weren't mentioned, then he probably would have decided to just leave but he decided to agree with the stranger and find out whats going on. When it comes to young kids, it is easier to convince them in doing something because they don't have the mind that older people have where we can predict or have the altercation against it. So we can infer that David had made a mistake and basically fell in a trap. As one can see, there are many harsh people that can auspiciously get what they want by saying what and who you know.
While reading the story, I kept trying to see the situations in my perspective, and that is why I enjoyed it because it kept making me bite my nails. For instance, "It slowed down until it came to a stop beside him, and the woman inside rolled down her window and leaned out." Now if that was me and I saw a van roll up next to me I would've hopped on my bike and be peddling as fast as a sports car. Figuratively speaking, almost everyone else would have done the same exact thing. To sum up, it is better to avoid the danger, than to be the one to suffer it.
In conclusion, Katherine Clark explained the meaning of having your heart pumping faster than you can blink an eye when your loved one is out of your sight. I would definitely want to recommend someone who wants to read a book predicted and stressing what will happen next. For every mother that has lost a child it is devastating to even ear about it because the number one question they would want to know is "Why".
In the story, Clark's diction to the situations really define what suspense is. To illustrate this idea, Clark shows on page 1 and 2, "David, something awful has happened to your mother and father....you've got to come with us." According to the quote, that was one of the main setbacks in the story because if David's parents weren't mentioned, then he probably would have decided to just leave but he decided to agree with the stranger and find out whats going on. When it comes to young kids, it is easier to convince them in doing something because they don't have the mind that older people have where we can predict or have the altercation against it. So we can infer that David had made a mistake and basically fell in a trap. As one can see, there are many harsh people that can auspiciously get what they want by saying what and who you know.
While reading the story, I kept trying to see the situations in my perspective, and that is why I enjoyed it because it kept making me bite my nails. For instance, "It slowed down until it came to a stop beside him, and the woman inside rolled down her window and leaned out." Now if that was me and I saw a van roll up next to me I would've hopped on my bike and be peddling as fast as a sports car. Figuratively speaking, almost everyone else would have done the same exact thing. To sum up, it is better to avoid the danger, than to be the one to suffer it.
In conclusion, Katherine Clark explained the meaning of having your heart pumping faster than you can blink an eye when your loved one is out of your sight. I would definitely want to recommend someone who wants to read a book predicted and stressing what will happen next. For every mother that has lost a child it is devastating to even ear about it because the number one question they would want to know is "Why".
October 3, 2014
A combination of suspense and characters with completely different personalities, Clark puts a twist on the worst nightmare of every parent, a child disappearing. Rachel Stark, an illustrator for children's books and her husband Stephen, an attorney must fight to find their missing son, David.
In an already problematic marriage, their nine-year-old son is kidnapped in broad daylight while he is riding his bike home from school. Along with the problems they already have, their are several characters giving them more. Detective Gallagher, The officer in charge of the case, is a mean and unfriendly man with suspicion of Stephen and Rachel and has a problem where he cannot stop staring at Rachel's chest. Rachel's sister, Miranda is staying with the Starks while she looks for her own place to live after recently getting divorced, can't keep her hands off of her brother-in-law Stephen.
While police search for his son, Stephen hires an organization that specializes in finding children who have gone missing. Rachel is very intuitive and tries ESP to at least try to get a clue of where her son may be.
They run into further problems when Rachel is asked to take a test for AIDS because the man whose sperm was donated to her(David's biological father)had gotten the disease, and Stephen reveals he had an affair with Rachel's sister, Miranda. As more stressful weeks pass Rachel, begins to believe that David's biological father is responsible for his disappearance. She goes on a search to find the man's identity.
I personally thought the book was very good and it really compelled me to keep on reading. I enjoyed the suspense and drama throughout the entire story. Clark did a great job with storyline and twists keeping it very interesting all throughout.
In an already problematic marriage, their nine-year-old son is kidnapped in broad daylight while he is riding his bike home from school. Along with the problems they already have, their are several characters giving them more. Detective Gallagher, The officer in charge of the case, is a mean and unfriendly man with suspicion of Stephen and Rachel and has a problem where he cannot stop staring at Rachel's chest. Rachel's sister, Miranda is staying with the Starks while she looks for her own place to live after recently getting divorced, can't keep her hands off of her brother-in-law Stephen.
While police search for his son, Stephen hires an organization that specializes in finding children who have gone missing. Rachel is very intuitive and tries ESP to at least try to get a clue of where her son may be.
They run into further problems when Rachel is asked to take a test for AIDS because the man whose sperm was donated to her(David's biological father)had gotten the disease, and Stephen reveals he had an affair with Rachel's sister, Miranda. As more stressful weeks pass Rachel, begins to believe that David's biological father is responsible for his disappearance. She goes on a search to find the man's identity.
I personally thought the book was very good and it really compelled me to keep on reading. I enjoyed the suspense and drama throughout the entire story. Clark did a great job with storyline and twists keeping it very interesting all throughout.
March 14, 2015
The book “Steal Away” by Katherine Clarke is a very suspenseful novel with a lot of drama. “Steal Away” is about a couple who goes through a parent’s worst nightmare. Their nine year old son is snatched off the street in the middle of the day. This book had me hooked since the beginning. It is one of my favorite books I’ve read this school year.
Though I don’t usually like books with too much drama, I have come to really enjoy this novel. Books with a lot of drama often tend to be predictable and boring. However, this book was well put together. The way Clarke wrote this book actually made me feel what the characters were going through. There was an almost perfect amount of drama and suspense that kept me very interested. Clarke is a great author and I like her writing skills. I would definitely recommend this book.
Although I liked this book, it does have some cons. The book is almost too stressing. First, the couple loses their kid and then Rachel might have AIDS. They go through too much stuff. It was also pretty predictable when you find out that David isn’t Stephen’s biological son and his real dad might be the suspect. Overall it was a good book.
The book “Steal Away” by Katherine Clarke was a great book that was very suspenseful. I almost never wanted to put it down. I loved how it kept me hooked in all the way through. Clarke knows how to keep a reader interested. This is one of my favorite books.
Though I don’t usually like books with too much drama, I have come to really enjoy this novel. Books with a lot of drama often tend to be predictable and boring. However, this book was well put together. The way Clarke wrote this book actually made me feel what the characters were going through. There was an almost perfect amount of drama and suspense that kept me very interested. Clarke is a great author and I like her writing skills. I would definitely recommend this book.
Although I liked this book, it does have some cons. The book is almost too stressing. First, the couple loses their kid and then Rachel might have AIDS. They go through too much stuff. It was also pretty predictable when you find out that David isn’t Stephen’s biological son and his real dad might be the suspect. Overall it was a good book.
The book “Steal Away” by Katherine Clarke was a great book that was very suspenseful. I almost never wanted to put it down. I loved how it kept me hooked in all the way through. Clarke knows how to keep a reader interested. This is one of my favorite books.
January 3, 2017
I didn't love this story about a woman whose son is abducted. The writing is able enough, the plot moves along quickly, but the characters were badly drawn and unsympathetic. The main character, Rachel, is a frustrating choice for a protagonist. It's all about her. There is no topic that does not revolve around her and in her eyes life is so, so unfair, the people around her are all unfeeling creeps who do not feel things in the special, better way that she feels things. Rachel also loves playing the victim. In one scene, a cluster of people, including her husband, stand in the kitchen, discussing what to do next, and she sits at the counter and mournfully wonders why they don't include her. And I think, "because you can't be bothered to get up and walk six feet over to where the conversation is taking place, you big booby." Nothing can happen that doesn't hurt her more than anyone else. She focuses on how bad she feels that she has no time to ponder the fear and pain of her own son. Arghh.
The other characters are lightly drawn, so that we are never given any insight into why they are behaving that way, the plot, which starts well, descends into implausibility. The book began well, and with a better plot and a more believable heroine, this book would be quite readable.
The other characters are lightly drawn, so that we are never given any insight into why they are behaving that way, the plot, which starts well, descends into implausibility. The book began well, and with a better plot and a more believable heroine, this book would be quite readable.
July 18, 2015
I vacillated on choosing thecstars because the book had good parts, but ultimately, it failed so abysmally to reach its potential that the goodxwas drowned by the bad. The stiry and the twists and turns were good, and I did get good visuals in mind during some scenes, but always, something ridiculous would happen, and ruin a good thing.SPOILER ALERT. I don't get the point of Miranda, she took away from the story and her interactions with her sister were absurd. The idea that she would be okay with her husband and sister sleeping together in her own home is crazy enough. Couple that betrayal with the idea that Rachel still sought out her sister for solace and, well I'm done. That is only the tip of the 'suspend belief' iceberg(s). It is too bad because thevbook had a good plot, and the writing is okay, but too many pale characters and too many unrealistic relationships completely undermined the book. The ending as well as being abrupt, didn't resolve any of the major issues in the book.
March 20, 2016
Much better written than the bleak subject suggests
January 20, 2016
This was pretty suspenseful, but I thought she could have developed the characters a little better. I was confused at which personality each character was going to have per chapter.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews