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Tucker Mystery #3
Child Not Found
For Aloysius Tucker, taking his nine-year-old cousin Maria sledding is all about frozen toes and hot coffee in the warming house. It shouldn’t involve chasing after Maria as she’s led into a long black car by a stranger in a Bruins jacket. But by the end of the crisp December morning Maria is gone, her mother is dead, and her father—mafia don Sal—has been arrested for murder.
Sensing blood in the water, would-be successors to Sal’s criminal empire square off, agreeing on nothing but the idea that Sal’s blood relative, Tucker, needs to be eliminated. Searching for Maria through sub-zero days and nights, Tucker persists even as his relentless efforts draw him into a deadly crossfire between every power-hungry crook in Boston.
Sensing blood in the water, would-be successors to Sal’s criminal empire square off, agreeing on nothing but the idea that Sal’s blood relative, Tucker, needs to be eliminated. Searching for Maria through sub-zero days and nights, Tucker persists even as his relentless efforts draw him into a deadly crossfire between every power-hungry crook in Boston.
- GenresMystery
374 pages, Paperback
Published June 8, 2016
1 person is currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Ray Daniel
27 books34 followersRay Daniel is the award-winning author of Boston-based crime fiction. His short stories “Give Me a Dollar” won a 2014 Derringer Award for short fiction and “Driving Miss Rachel” was chosen as a 2013 distinguished short story by Otto Penzler, editor of The Best American Mystery Stories 2013.
Hacked is his fourth novel.
For more information, visit him online at raydanielmystery.com and follow him on Twitter @raydanielmystry.
Hacked is his fourth novel.
For more information, visit him online at raydanielmystery.com and follow him on Twitter @raydanielmystry.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 17, 2016
This book totally sucked me right in. I love books about Boston because I have been to all of the places. There is something magical about this. This author obviously lives here. It sucks when you can tell they are faking it or their descriptions are so vague that they could be about anything or anywhere. Of course, who would notice except a local? This book is full of all sorts of stuff. It has kidnapping, murder, gun fights, assault, near drowning, mobsters, hackers, crooks, crooked cops, and even a kitchen sink (more than one, actually). If you like a fast paced mystery, I definitely recommend it. If you live in Boston, even more so.
June 22, 2016
Child Not Found
Book Review
6/22/16
Tucker is back in Child Not Found by Ray Daniel. Tucker takes his cousin Sal’s daughter sledding, and all hell breaks loose. In a story that includes a Boston Marathon day bombing survivor, kidnapping, murder, lies, theft, betrayal, sex, high finance, adultery, gang wars, mafia machinations, we accompany Tucker as he stumbles and drinks his way through it all.
The story that takes place largely in Boston’s North End, a neighborhood long associated with the Italian mob. Mr. Daniel brings us some old friends: Jael, the beautiful and deadly Israeli assassin; Sal, Tucker’s cousin who is also a mob boss; Special Agent Bobby Miller, Tucker’s old college friend who is now with the FBI, and various other characters from the previous installments. Tucker acquires a new girlfriend but the question raised by his last two adventures is: will he still have a girlfriend by the end of the book?
I must say I am happy to have found the violence less sadistic and gruesome in this novel than the previous ones. Which isn’t to say that there is not a significant body count. This reviewer counts eleven bodies from memory, and acknowledges that there may be more.
As previously, the plot is wonderfully convoluted with twists and turns that are continually surprising, but which make sense in the context of the story. The feeling one gets is similar to that experienced when reading Chandler, or Hammett. Anyone who has read the Maltese Falcon, or The Big Sleep will see similarity in the complexity of the plot, and the surprising twists and turns it takes, not unlike the streets of the North End.
I enjoyed this thoroughly, and recommend it highly. Tucker is usually funny, often stupid, sometimes brilliant, but always trying to do the right things for the right reasons. Buy this book and judge for yourself.
Oh, I almost forgot, if you haven’t read the short story Communion by Ray Daniel, it is worth the fifteen minutes it takes to do so, before you read this book. It is certainly not necessary, but it is a wonderful story, and it is the seed that germinated into this novel.
Book Review
6/22/16
Tucker is back in Child Not Found by Ray Daniel. Tucker takes his cousin Sal’s daughter sledding, and all hell breaks loose. In a story that includes a Boston Marathon day bombing survivor, kidnapping, murder, lies, theft, betrayal, sex, high finance, adultery, gang wars, mafia machinations, we accompany Tucker as he stumbles and drinks his way through it all.
The story that takes place largely in Boston’s North End, a neighborhood long associated with the Italian mob. Mr. Daniel brings us some old friends: Jael, the beautiful and deadly Israeli assassin; Sal, Tucker’s cousin who is also a mob boss; Special Agent Bobby Miller, Tucker’s old college friend who is now with the FBI, and various other characters from the previous installments. Tucker acquires a new girlfriend but the question raised by his last two adventures is: will he still have a girlfriend by the end of the book?
I must say I am happy to have found the violence less sadistic and gruesome in this novel than the previous ones. Which isn’t to say that there is not a significant body count. This reviewer counts eleven bodies from memory, and acknowledges that there may be more.
As previously, the plot is wonderfully convoluted with twists and turns that are continually surprising, but which make sense in the context of the story. The feeling one gets is similar to that experienced when reading Chandler, or Hammett. Anyone who has read the Maltese Falcon, or The Big Sleep will see similarity in the complexity of the plot, and the surprising twists and turns it takes, not unlike the streets of the North End.
I enjoyed this thoroughly, and recommend it highly. Tucker is usually funny, often stupid, sometimes brilliant, but always trying to do the right things for the right reasons. Buy this book and judge for yourself.
Oh, I almost forgot, if you haven’t read the short story Communion by Ray Daniel, it is worth the fifteen minutes it takes to do so, before you read this book. It is certainly not necessary, but it is a wonderful story, and it is the seed that germinated into this novel.
April 2, 2017
MIT meets the Mafia meets the neighborhoods, characters, and mean winters of Boston. Quick witted Tucker has a bad Christmas week! Daniel is one of the better Boston crime novelists writing--check out any of his Tucker books! All really well done if you like the short days and long nights of smart ass Boston.
November 18, 2020
Kind of a confusing beginning, but in this case, I think it worked for the author. It created an bigger mystery right off the bat about what was really going on and who was involved in the murder and kidnapping. Very easy and quick read.
My biggest issue with this book was that, even though the main character in this book was an adult, it didn't read like an Adult book. I didn't realize before that this was considered a Young Adult book because of this. Usually, the age of the main character helps to determine the age range for the book. Apparently, that is not at all the case here. Not only are all the characters in this book adults, besides for the kidnapped child, but there is a lot of swearing and some sexual situations in this. And yet the adults didn't act like adults. There is this kind of awkward, humor tone to the style of writing that didn’t work with the genre of the book or some of its content. I swear, all of these adults were way too immature for their ages.
Not only that, but there were a few situations that didn't make a lot of sense to me. For example, why did the police tell Tucker NOT to put his cousin’s picture out into the media?? Don’t they say that the sooner they can get a picture of a kidnapped child out to the public, the better odds they have of someone spying said child and getting them returned home?? Even in a mafia setting, this still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. You want to get the photo out as quickly as possible, not sit around on it.
And then Tucker, this grown adult-child, turns out to be a master computer coder??? How does that make sense?
Another issue, Bobby Miller acted so appalled by Tucker’s accusations about Cantrell being a dirty cop, and yet when this was revealed as the truth to Bobby, he didn’t even act shocked at all. This reveal should have caused more of a reaction from him if he truly trusted Cantrell so much.
This story would have worked a lot better if the author had just made it an Adult book and allowed all of the grown ups to act their ages.
My biggest issue with this book was that, even though the main character in this book was an adult, it didn't read like an Adult book. I didn't realize before that this was considered a Young Adult book because of this. Usually, the age of the main character helps to determine the age range for the book. Apparently, that is not at all the case here. Not only are all the characters in this book adults, besides for the kidnapped child, but there is a lot of swearing and some sexual situations in this. And yet the adults didn't act like adults. There is this kind of awkward, humor tone to the style of writing that didn’t work with the genre of the book or some of its content. I swear, all of these adults were way too immature for their ages.
Not only that, but there were a few situations that didn't make a lot of sense to me. For example, why did the police tell Tucker NOT to put his cousin’s picture out into the media?? Don’t they say that the sooner they can get a picture of a kidnapped child out to the public, the better odds they have of someone spying said child and getting them returned home?? Even in a mafia setting, this still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. You want to get the photo out as quickly as possible, not sit around on it.
And then Tucker, this grown adult-child, turns out to be a master computer coder??? How does that make sense?
Another issue, Bobby Miller acted so appalled by Tucker’s accusations about Cantrell being a dirty cop, and yet when this was revealed as the truth to Bobby, he didn’t even act shocked at all. This reveal should have caused more of a reaction from him if he truly trusted Cantrell so much.
This story would have worked a lot better if the author had just made it an Adult book and allowed all of the grown ups to act their ages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2021
I liked the book there were just scenes in the story that didn’t realistic to me.
June 7, 2016
Short on long words – long on atmosphere
It was a fairly normal family Christmas in Boston. Tucker had been invited to lunch by his cousin Sal Rizzo. Except that Sal is an organised crime boss but we all take a couple of wrongs turns in life. Right?
Tucker takes Sal’s daughter Maria sledging and the mayhem starts. Maria is kidnapped, her mother Sophia is strangled and Sal is arrested. The vultures circle, spotting an opportunity to benefit from the vacuum left by Sal’s inevitable incarceration and everyone wants Tucker dead; either because they think he has turned on his cousin or because he is an obstacle to be disposed of in their possible climb to power.
The story has everything – murder, kidnap, near drowning, sex (well nearly), gun fights and lots and lots of intrigue. Who can be trusted? Well pretty much no-one and whoever might be trustworthy in one chapter can and will be a threat in the next.
The style of writing is minimal. There are no flowery descriptions or long passages of text. Instead the clipped, abbreviated dialogue creates the atmosphere of Boston in winter. The characters save their strength to cope with the icy conditions and the reader joins with them in feeling the bite of cold on their extremities.
In the same way the personality of each character is portrayed through the style of dialogue rather than through superfluous descriptive words and the story is better for that as it enables the author to focus on the action without the distraction and interruption of description.
The author clearly knows Boston and knows his craft. He has woven a plot with believable characters which will keep the reader guessing right through to the explosive end.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
It was a fairly normal family Christmas in Boston. Tucker had been invited to lunch by his cousin Sal Rizzo. Except that Sal is an organised crime boss but we all take a couple of wrongs turns in life. Right?
Tucker takes Sal’s daughter Maria sledging and the mayhem starts. Maria is kidnapped, her mother Sophia is strangled and Sal is arrested. The vultures circle, spotting an opportunity to benefit from the vacuum left by Sal’s inevitable incarceration and everyone wants Tucker dead; either because they think he has turned on his cousin or because he is an obstacle to be disposed of in their possible climb to power.
The story has everything – murder, kidnap, near drowning, sex (well nearly), gun fights and lots and lots of intrigue. Who can be trusted? Well pretty much no-one and whoever might be trustworthy in one chapter can and will be a threat in the next.
The style of writing is minimal. There are no flowery descriptions or long passages of text. Instead the clipped, abbreviated dialogue creates the atmosphere of Boston in winter. The characters save their strength to cope with the icy conditions and the reader joins with them in feeling the bite of cold on their extremities.
In the same way the personality of each character is portrayed through the style of dialogue rather than through superfluous descriptive words and the story is better for that as it enables the author to focus on the action without the distraction and interruption of description.
The author clearly knows Boston and knows his craft. He has woven a plot with believable characters which will keep the reader guessing right through to the explosive end.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
November 19, 2019
OK, yes, I know Ray. That having been said, if I read a book by someone I know and I don't fancy it, I follow the old adage... if you don't have something nice to say, then just leave it alone and move on.
Cousin (Tucker) of Boston mafia boss (Sal) takes the boss' daughter (Maria) sledding on Boston Common. Maria gets kidnapped, Maria's mom is killed, and Tucker and Sal are left looking like the bad guys. Sal goes off to jail and Tucker has to work it out. All he wanted to do was take the kid sledding. No, I didn't guess the ending.
This was fabulous. I loved every second of it and my only regret is that I didn't have the patience to do it right and start with the other Tucker books because I'm a sucker for a lost kid story. Ray sucks you into Boston and leaves you smelling the fumes of the T at Government Center, shaking the slush out of your all-too-inadequate sneakers that just stepped off the curb as the taxi puddle-whipped you... it was glorious, and I need to get back to Boston RIGHT NOW.
The dialogue was true to the area. I could sort of see how readers might find it monotone, but those readers perhaps haven't been to Boston. This is how folks talk, and when people are stressed out... he nailed it.
OK, so for anyone who actually READS my reviews, here's my throwdown:
Julie's Genre Ratings (same style for every book, to allow readers to sense what's in a book and what isn't, and how well each is done):
Overall: 5*
History: n/a
Character Development: 4*
Setting: 5*
Humor: 5*
Pictures: 0*
Romance: 3*
Adventure: 5*
Mythology: 0*
Mystery: 5*
Thriller: 5*
Fantasy: 0*
Europe/England: 0*
Middle East: 0*
Asia, Africa, S. Am, Australia: 0*
New England: 5*
Ending/Tying up loose ends/Made sense: 5*
YA/Kids: 0*
Cousin (Tucker) of Boston mafia boss (Sal) takes the boss' daughter (Maria) sledding on Boston Common. Maria gets kidnapped, Maria's mom is killed, and Tucker and Sal are left looking like the bad guys. Sal goes off to jail and Tucker has to work it out. All he wanted to do was take the kid sledding. No, I didn't guess the ending.
This was fabulous. I loved every second of it and my only regret is that I didn't have the patience to do it right and start with the other Tucker books because I'm a sucker for a lost kid story. Ray sucks you into Boston and leaves you smelling the fumes of the T at Government Center, shaking the slush out of your all-too-inadequate sneakers that just stepped off the curb as the taxi puddle-whipped you... it was glorious, and I need to get back to Boston RIGHT NOW.
The dialogue was true to the area. I could sort of see how readers might find it monotone, but those readers perhaps haven't been to Boston. This is how folks talk, and when people are stressed out... he nailed it.
OK, so for anyone who actually READS my reviews, here's my throwdown:
Julie's Genre Ratings (same style for every book, to allow readers to sense what's in a book and what isn't, and how well each is done):
Overall: 5*
History: n/a
Character Development: 4*
Setting: 5*
Humor: 5*
Pictures: 0*
Romance: 3*
Adventure: 5*
Mythology: 0*
Mystery: 5*
Thriller: 5*
Fantasy: 0*
Europe/England: 0*
Middle East: 0*
Asia, Africa, S. Am, Australia: 0*
New England: 5*
Ending/Tying up loose ends/Made sense: 5*
YA/Kids: 0*
August 24, 2016
Tucker and his extraordinarily capacious liver are back! It would be misleading to say they're ready for action, because Tucker is never ready for action. The fact that it consistently finds him despite his best efforts to avoid it is part of his appeal.
The story starts with Tucker’s accepting an invitation to Cousin Sal’s for Christmas dinner. Given that Sal is a Mafia boss, one wonders what could possibly go wrong. The answer comes quickly: the next day Tucker takes Sal’s daughter Maria to the Boston Common to go sledding. In rapid order Maria is abducted, Sal is arrested, and the corpses start piling up. Everyone on every conceivable side of the law suspects Tucker. But all Tucker wants to do is find Maria.
With Child Not Found, Ray Daniel has penned yet another winner. The Tucker series is smart, funny, and compulsively readable. This is a must for fans of crime fiction, and Boston-based fiction in particular.
The story starts with Tucker’s accepting an invitation to Cousin Sal’s for Christmas dinner. Given that Sal is a Mafia boss, one wonders what could possibly go wrong. The answer comes quickly: the next day Tucker takes Sal’s daughter Maria to the Boston Common to go sledding. In rapid order Maria is abducted, Sal is arrested, and the corpses start piling up. Everyone on every conceivable side of the law suspects Tucker. But all Tucker wants to do is find Maria.
With Child Not Found, Ray Daniel has penned yet another winner. The Tucker series is smart, funny, and compulsively readable. This is a must for fans of crime fiction, and Boston-based fiction in particular.
November 12, 2016
I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
This is the 3rd book in the tucker mysteries. Sadly I did not read book one or book 2 but I had no problem following along with the book.
The book started off very exciting….but sadly…it dragged. I lost interest in the middle of the book but it had promise so I did not put it up… im glad I did not. This booked picked up and had a very intense and GREAT ending!!
Tucker takes his cousin Sal’s daughter sledding, and all hell breaks loose. Maria is kidnapped, her mother Sophia is strangled and Sal is arrested. Because Sal’s inevitable incarceration everyone wants Tucker dead; either because they think he has turned on his cousin or because he is an obstacle to be disposed of in their possible climb to power.
It really is a page turning book if you can get through the boring middle
This is the 3rd book in the tucker mysteries. Sadly I did not read book one or book 2 but I had no problem following along with the book.
The book started off very exciting….but sadly…it dragged. I lost interest in the middle of the book but it had promise so I did not put it up… im glad I did not. This booked picked up and had a very intense and GREAT ending!!
Tucker takes his cousin Sal’s daughter sledding, and all hell breaks loose. Maria is kidnapped, her mother Sophia is strangled and Sal is arrested. Because Sal’s inevitable incarceration everyone wants Tucker dead; either because they think he has turned on his cousin or because he is an obstacle to be disposed of in their possible climb to power.
It really is a page turning book if you can get through the boring middle
April 29, 2016
I enjoyed this title. It must be the 2nd in a series as Tucker, the main character referenced the murder of his wife which must have happened in the first book.
Tucker's cousin Sal Rizzo is a crime boss. The day after Christmas he takes Sal's daughter sledding. Sal shows up and at that exact same time, Sal's daughter Maria is kidnapped. Sal gets arrested for other crimes and then his wife is found dead.
Tucker needs to find Maria. He encounters Hugh who he thinks wants to take over Sal's empire while Sal is in jail. He meets Angie who may not be what she seems. Then there is Caroline, Sal's lawyer, what's her angle in all this?
If was a good read, humor thrown in. All wrapped up nicely at the end.
Tucker's cousin Sal Rizzo is a crime boss. The day after Christmas he takes Sal's daughter sledding. Sal shows up and at that exact same time, Sal's daughter Maria is kidnapped. Sal gets arrested for other crimes and then his wife is found dead.
Tucker needs to find Maria. He encounters Hugh who he thinks wants to take over Sal's empire while Sal is in jail. He meets Angie who may not be what she seems. Then there is Caroline, Sal's lawyer, what's her angle in all this?
If was a good read, humor thrown in. All wrapped up nicely at the end.
August 21, 2016
I won this novel in a goodreads drawing.
A computer guy spends Christmas at his cousin's house, who just happens to be the head mafioso of Boston. When the computer guy takes his cousin's daughter sledding, she disappears. Then we're in the middle of a gang war.
Lots of death as the search for the daughter continues. Somehow, the computer guy picks up a beautiful Israeli bodyguard along the way.
Entertaining, but somewhat over the top.
A computer guy spends Christmas at his cousin's house, who just happens to be the head mafioso of Boston. When the computer guy takes his cousin's daughter sledding, she disappears. Then we're in the middle of a gang war.
Lots of death as the search for the daughter continues. Somehow, the computer guy picks up a beautiful Israeli bodyguard along the way.
Entertaining, but somewhat over the top.
June 25, 2017
I loved this book, apparently it's a #3 in the series. But it was great as a standalone. The action, the characters, and the small dashes of humour made the 374 pages rush by. The ending was very clean, everything came together and made sense. All I could think was "Bros Before Hoes" 😂 It was a surprise, but,at the same time, wasn't a surprise.
Will definitely be adding #1 and #2 to my "to read" list
Will definitely be adding #1 and #2 to my "to read" list
June 29, 2016
This book had a bit too much Mafia in it for me -- good mystery, and I love Tucker, but some of his relatives and friends were just too lawless and brutal for my taste. The kidnapping was guaranteed to keep me reading it, as well as some of the difficulties that Tucker got himself and others into. Good, but not wonderful.
November 7, 2016
Tucker just can't catch a break. A simple sledding trip with his little cousin opens up a whole ugly can of worms, that Tucker is smack dab in the middle of, and can't get out. Faced pace action, shadowy characters, and the beautiful setting of Boston at Christmas time all conspire to bring a great story to life in the Tucker series from Mr. Daniel.
June 26, 2016
Another fast-paced and compelling story in the series with some twists and turns. Looking forward to hearing Ray speak about this book and the writing process at our book store in a few weeks. He is a great guy and interesting speaker. It's nice when local authors make it.
December 20, 2017
This was a well written book and enjoyable. It took me a while as sometimes I felt it lagged a little. Once you get more towards the middle it really starts to flow. Just give it time it definitely picks up speed. There are twists throughout that throw you off course. Really liked the ending.
July 2, 2016
Snappy dialogue, mafia kingpins, Boston.
October 14, 2016
Excellent third book in the Tucker mystery series!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews