Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise

by Dave Holloway, R. Stephanie Good, Larry Garrison

One father's mission to find his daughter, 18 years before the chilling confession of Joran van der Sloot. I am a father who has no idea what has happened to his child. The questions run through my mind all day long. They keep me awake at night. Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she being held captive somewhere? Are they hurting her? Is she crying out for me?   These are the impassioned words of Dave Holloway, father of Natalee Holloway, whose disappearance in Aruba sparked a media frenzy and an international scandal in 2005. This is the heart-wrenching story of his search, the most complete account of Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba. During a then ongoing investigation, Holloway   ·         behind-the-scenes details of the investigation 

·         new revelations about the corruption of the Aruban law enforcement 

·         and the countless trails leading to possible rape, murder, and even sexual slavery  This is the first insider's account of one of this century’s most disturbing and mysterious true crime stories. Holloway relates the horror of personally searching through crack houses and trash dumps for Natalee––working alone, with authorities, even with psychics––while enduring the stonewalling of Aruban officials.  Learn what really went on behind the headlines, and follow the hopeful heart of a father as he searches tirelessly for his precious daughter. 

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Memoir, Book Club

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2006

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have now read both books - Beth's book and now this one from her Dad - Beth told more of the emotions within the family - Dave speaks more of the political side of Aruba and how they wronged the investigation of his daughters disappearance in this case - I am glad I read both accounts - From her folks.

I hold this true crime story close to my heart, because I have visited this island a half dozen times and I never felt I was in any danger. If I would have read the accounts in this book, I would have thought twice about visiting this island.

[Jan Deelstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without sacrificing this book with a review laced with emotions and spoilers, I am compelled to say that I will never travel to Aruba, nor, if I have anything to do with the decision, will anyone I care about.
Should we boycott Aruba? No. Rather, we should wipe the predators of women and the corrupt polititians and so-called law enforcement officials who protect them off the face of the planet. This includes the corrupt officials on the small island of Aruba, and MUST also, perhaps more importantly, include those covering up the drug and sex trades in Holland.
This story isn't about one missing high school graduate and the family desparate to find her. This is a HUGE issue about thousands of missing persons and the sex-slave business. This book is the flashlight that shines on a dark and sinister condition that continues to plague.
Especially intriguing in Dave Holloway's book is the Appendix/Shango's Riddle. In the end, it is left to the readers and bloggers to decide if Natalie Holloway is still alive. The book took me from what I believed to be the truth, and led me to an unsettling place of a new opinion. I am haunted by the possibilities.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was riveted by the story of Natalee Holloway's tragedy. This is an excellent book. There is much information in this book that was not widely distributed in the media.

[L.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's sad that the people who helped Mr. Holloway put this book together cared more about drama and selling books than about helping him put together an organized account of Natalee's disappearance that might help further the investigation and find Natalee. I hope someday they learn the truth but after all that's happened I don't know that they'll ever be able to believe the truth even if they do hear it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an enlightening insight into the Natalee Holloway story. I am very disheartened at the way the case was handled and that they will probably never know what happened to their daughter. A must read for anyone thinking about going to Aruba or any island like that.

[Sue Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was written well enough, and I feel for the parents very very much... but in the big picture they should have worked together as the book points out very clearly that the double effort... with separate agendas did not help their cause.... overall not a great read.

[Miss.Always.Reading.Books]

This book skipped around a lot, it really wasn't what I expected. I guess maybe Natalee`s dad didn't remember much. In one sentence he's talking about how Natalee was a kid and the next he's talking about her graduation. When Natalee went missing he stopped everything to go and search for her, the thing that shocked me about this book was how the police in Aruba didn't even care. When Natalee`s dad arrived in Aruba to go to the police station the first thing the police asked him was "How much money do you have?" Then told him do not search for Natalee, just go to a bar and wait for her to arrive. No one cared that his daughter was missing. He went as far as searching the crack houses because many people claimed that Natalee might have went there after a night of drinking too much but the police told him to back off because he was running away drug dealers. People from all over Aruba claimed that they knew what happened to Natalee because Beth, Natalee`s mom was handing out $10 to anyonewho had I info on where Natalee was. People also had theories about what happened to Natalee:
1. She was alive but kidnapped being held somewhere. 2. She died after alcohol overdose. 3. She drank to much and went swimming then drowned. 4. A suspect named J. Sloot walked her out of the bar while she was drunk and killed her. 5. She got injected with some drug, someone took her and held her as a sec slave. We find out in this book that Aruba is not what it seems to be, there are drug houses to keep drug dealers and junkies off the street so that that they do not bother tourist and it's ran by the government. Drugs are being shipped there everyday by Colombia and Venezuela. There is a part of Aruba called Mafia Island. Natalee`s dad says in the book he wished he'd known all of this be for giving Natalee permission to go to Aruba. In October 2005 Natalee`s mom got a voicemail from Natalee saying "Mom help me" but her parents aren't sure it was her. The Aruba police then announced that Natalee`scase will be closed in 60 days, they got tired of numerous people searching and becoming a distraction to the Aruba island. Dave Holloway still believes that Natalee is alive, he has not given up hope on her.

[Rita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book reads like a father who's daughter disappeared and he is ticked off at everyone for not doing enough to help. I guess I was expecting a book that would be more about Natalie and her disappearance instead of the bulk of the book being a rehashing of the corruption in Aruba. Should have taken the title for what it was. Dave seems like a very nice guy who is upset, and rightfully so. But when you read the same things over and over again, it doesn't make for an interesting book. Saw no point to making a whole chapter about crackpot emails that were sent. I'm sorry for what has happened but it would be nice to read a book that brings Natalie "alive" to the reader, to give us compassion for the ordeal that has happened to this family. Without that introduction to the reader, it makes the rest read like a book of complaints.

[Marianne Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came alive in a way that no other book came alive. I could actually feel Dave Holloway's emotion...his breathlessness, his tightening of the chest, his frustration.....this has never happened to me before.

The ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I read a news story a month ago about a new development in this case....in the article, it states that Dave knew Natalee was dead the moment he heard she was missing. In the book, in the last chapter, he states he still feels she is alive. This glaring faux pas was disconcerting to me and made me sad.

However, in spite of that, the book was awesome....fyi - I am NEVER going to Aruba.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far it is very gripping. I can't believe how reading this book has made me never want to leave my country...ever!

[Ali Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book!!!

[Wendy Lear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story.

[Danny Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to finish because the tragic case of Natalee’s disappearance has always irked me, however, the book was not well written. I expected this, as clearly Dave is not an author, but there is a certain basic storytelling template that you’d expect one to follow. The author jumped around on the timeline and rarely spent enough time developing his ideas. It felt more like a diary filled with half-conscious memories. However, I appreciated the first hand insight of corruption in Aruba, as that was eye-opening.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing that stood out about this book was how Dave was quick to mention in the book that he did not approve of Natalee going on the Aruba trip, but rather his ex wife approved. I just found that interesting.

Overall, very sad story. I feel terrible for Dave and the whole family. It must be devastating to just not know what happened to Natalee. It's despicable that people take advantage of a family's sadness too; all of the "psychics" , and people that claimed to know where Natalee who are just taking advantage.

I am not sure w will ever know what happened to Natalee but I personally think Joran Had something to do with her dissaperance.

[Erin. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Of course I feel awful giving this book a negative review given the subject matter, but honestly the book is just bad. Badly written, terribly organized, and just rehashes the same points over and over. At some points it becomes very confusing what he is talking about because it randomly circles back to prior points in the timeline.

It’s clear that Mr Holloway has an “us versus them” bias against foreign countries… which could be understandable given the circumstances, but it’s pretty clear he had that bias prior and it affected his view on the situation.

Anyway, I was bummed to find this book so bad. Had been looking forward to reading it for a while.

[Lennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Dave Holloway talks about his daughter, Natalee, who disappeared while vacationing with her high school friends in Aruba. I remember following this story when it appeared in the news. After reading this book, I feel really sorry for the family for what they are going through. Obviously, someone knows something about Natalee's disappearance and it's too bad that the Aruban Police haven't been very cooperative in searching for her. I hope someday they find her so that the family can have some type of closure.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few pages into the book and Natalee is already missing. Dave Holloway does not spend a lot of time convincing the reader to love his daughter. Instead, he uses the pages to tell about the investigation, about the people involved in the investigation, and the suspects. A clear theme is that some amount of corruption existed that prevented early answers into Natalee's disappearance.

[Kris Zeller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a quick read but was more about the family than the case. It's interesting to hear some of the crazy leads the family was given but there was little explanation for any of the parts of the investigation. A good case can be made against the main suspect, but in his anger and accusations Mr. Holloway never made it. Would love to find a case file on this one.

[Chloe Hung · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Natalee’s disappearance is heartbreaking and the frustrating journey that her father has been through and is still going through to get answers is informative and compelling. Sadly, this true story reads like a fictional book that you would have a hard time believing that such government corruption, cover-ups and blatant disregard for evidence occurs. I will never go to Aruba.

[Kristin Hoffmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book. To be fair, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was stiff and robotic. The story of Natalie Holloway is tragic and the commitment of her family to finding her is heartbreaking and admirable, but this isn’t a very readable book. All that to say, I will NEVER GO TO ARUBA EVER. And neither should you.

[paula mello · Rating 2 out of 5]

not worth your time

This book is very slow and repeats how they keep interviewing the same people , searching in the same places.
I understand Mr Halloway is distraught over his daughter , but it doesn’t make him a writer.

[Jenny]

Picked this one up today. I'm hoping there's some new information that I'm not already aware of.

[Patty Abrams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalee's dad gives a good description of his search in Aruba, along with theories and opinions about the government's coverup.

[Theresa Perfetto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viewpoint of the parents. It shed much light on the details of this case. Sadly interesting

[Monica Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never travel to Aruba. Too much crime and drugs for me..

[Ab · Rating 2 out of 5]

not well written

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005. She was last seen by her classmates on leaving a restaurant/nightclub with with some local boys. She was reported missing by classmates when she failed to show up for her flight the next morning to return to the United States. The three boys who she was last reported to be with were picked up and brought in for questioning. Obviously, they denied doing anything to her. They were all released due to lack of evidence. Her boy has yet to be recovered, and I highly doubt it ever will. She was officially declared dead in 2012, when she would have been 25 years old, though everyone knows she died in 2005, aged 18.

This book was written by her father, and is fairly out of date since things have happened with this case and suspects since the book was published. I did like the personal feelings about the case, which were a welcome change from the podcasts and media that I had been exposed to up to this point. I was in my Junior year of high school when Natalee went missing, and I remember it being in the news very heavy. We also had lectures several times at school about how to be safe when we went out, which I thought was nagging at the time, but now I realize how important those lectures were. Some kids did not have parents to teach them that there are awful people in the world and how to attempt to keep themselves safe and really needed to hear that from someone. I saw this book on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee when I went in 2020. I happened across it at my local library and decided to pick it up. It was decently written, and you can really get a clear picture of how hard it is to go through a criminal investigation regarding your missing child, and how it works with foreign governments. I think that this book is valuable for a lot of reasons, and if you are interested in this case, you should check it out.

This is a reminder to yourself to really take a look at the decisions you are making when you go out, and to speak to your children about being safe in public. Half of the time, you cannot even trust the people you know, and you certainly cannot trust random people. You never leave your drink or food unattended, you always let people know where you are going, you never leave your friends for any reason, you never let them go off alone, and you always make sure they at least get in their door before you pull off. People can be snatched in an absolute hot second. Women, especially, need to be vigilant at all times. The world cares much less about women than we like to admit to ourselves, but this has always been an issue and it is especially prevalent lately. I do not believe in living in fear, but I also do not believe in making it easy to be snatched. Natalee's story is a great talking point for these things, as well about safe travel in foreign countries.

[Olivia Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise was about a senior in highschool, Natalee Holloway and her story: Written by her dad, Dave. She went to Aruba for a class trip and wound up going missing. Nobody knows if she was killed, kidnapped, or ran away. The book was all of her dad's side of the story with his emotion and feeling intertwined. He started from way before the binning to way after the end. You get every aspect. Every detail you would want answered about her story, besides what exactly happened to her, is answered in this book. The book covered many ideas of what may have happened, though and the hardships her family and many others had to go through while searching for the girl.
I got a lot out of this book, actually. I learned just a fraction of what her family felt. It made me very emotional learning about actual experiences they all had to go through with even little help at first. The book really broadened my experience because I feel like I was really put in the shoes of Dave. I can’t relate to the situation but that’s actually kind of humbling that I can’t. It made me very emotional just as the intent was and I felt like I was there too, searching for Natalee with all the people that love her. I realized things and thought about things I feel like could never happen to me.
Personally, I really liked this book. The detail was very good and the emotion in it was even better. Even though it was a nonfiction, it wasn’t boring fact. I have always been interested in cases like this and I loved reading about it even more that I enjoyed watching the movie. I felt more connected, just because her father wrote it. My favorite part of the book was the little passages throughout, like especially in the beginning, where Dave is talking about Natalee and how much he loves her and the person she is. It really warmed my heart to know how loved she really is. It also added a lot of feeling because obviously in this tragedy, great love comes great pain. It was also a happier part of the book and I like that he added some positivity into the situation. As I had said, the author added emotion into the book very well. Which, for him, probably wasn’t hard because he was also a victim in the story with real emotion for her. I think he could have told the story faster and not dragged on not so important details for so long. Like, the court process, which didn’t even help them.
I would 100% recommend this book to anybody. I know anybody that is interested in crime solving or just learning about that type of stuff would be very interested in this. But, I think everybody should give this a read. It is very eye-opening and a humbling book. Don’t let the non-fiction stamp fool you, it is interesting. This book is very traumatic but heartfelt at the same time. I think everybody should read Aruba. I know I loved it.

[Jade Wilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the three back-to-back memoirs I have read, this one is the best. For now, this book gets (a potentially low) 3 stars as the first-person accounting day-by-day is getting a bit irritating to me. TBH by memoir 2 I was getting annoyed with the mundane day-by-day actions of our 'hero' aka narrator aka author.

Speaking of 'Hero', making yourself the book's hero (who can do no wrong) is also bothersome to me. It's okay (and normal) to have faults in yourself, not just with everyone around you. I understand a lot of mistakes were made in this case. But the fact that the author skimmed over the part where he (at first) was against his daughter going to Aruba (but blamed his ex) but then all of a sudden Natalee (his daughter) was in Aruba seems to be a gap in the storyline. I assume Natalee would have waited until both her parents agreed that she can go on the trip?
This is just one example of when the author skips over his 'faults'.

But I may reread it in a year (when I am not reading back-to-back first-person accounts) and will reevaluate it then.

p.s. - if the part where I speak about Natalee being allowed to go on the trip was a spoiler let me know so I can edit this post and hide the review because of spoilers.

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough book to review. I definitely feel for the Holloway family and I can only imagine what years of searching for a missing family must feel like. That being said, I'm not sure Mr. Holloway did himself many favors in this book. There was a bit of a racist undertone to some of his remarks that was pervasive and consistent and it made it difficult to offer him the amount of empathy I think he deserves. And that feels like a terribly unfair criticism given the tragedy the family has faced, but...it's there and I think worth commenting on.

I hope the family finds peace at some point.