Into Thin Air

Toby Parkman #2

by Stan Washburn

When desperate child-snatcher Paul Greber abducts a young boy in the hopes of raising him as his own son, Bancroft detective Toby Parkman faces a difficult search that begins with locating the missing boy's guilt-stricken babysitter. Original.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published November 1, 1996

About the author

A multi-faceted artist, Washburn's etchings and paintings are in major collections throughout the country and his first novel, Intent to Harm, was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection in 1994, drawing upon his experience as a police officer.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A policeman kidnaps a child and takes him to his remote hideaway, where the cop decides to use a book to become the perfect parent.

The baby sitter, the only witness, can't handle the public scrutiny and runs away from home. The police and the abductor both try to find her.

Didn't really do anything for me, although the book thing kind of gave me a chill.

[Xavier Maota · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intensely frustrating confronting, creepy book. You want to rush to the end hoping that it all turns out ok. It definitely reminds you as a parent to ensure that our kids are educated and aware of such dangers and not be so complacent about their safety.

[Cheruv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting. Multiple pov's made following the story a bit hard at times.
I was a bit frustrated with some parts of the book too.
One thing that was hard to ignore, especially considering the author had police experience, was his bungling of the terms revolver and pistol for the same weapon. Maybe that slipped through the editing but they are NOT the same thing, they are both handguns, but a pistol is never a revolver, and a revolver never a pistol.
Overall, this is a 3* to 3.5* [Funny, that is basically the rating on goodreads too].
Although I hated the abductor, it was interesting to read it from his perspective.

[Barakiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone should read a book like this at least once, to give one some perspective on the dangers children face from predators.

Pros:
1. A realistic (I thought) and intense look at child abduction from a predator's POV.
2. A look at the life runaways face. Not sure how realistic this part was, but I liked to read about it, since it is so far beyond my sphere of experience.
3. I enjoyed the police's sense of humour.
4. If you are interested in criminology there is something for you here. Police investigation methods are explained.
5. Very little to no swearing/gore/extreme content.

Cons:
1. I was frustrated by Essie's incompetence and terrible choices. Ultimately I see what the author was trying to do, that is that the character had to go through certain things and come out different in the end, but it was extremely frustrating nonetheless.

Recommended if you're looking for something darker.

[Laura Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read another book by Stan Washburn, Intent to Harm, several years ago and thought it was one of the creepiest, scariest books ever. Into Thin Air is every bit as creepy though not quite as scary to me personally since the targets in the other book were women and this book's bad guy targets children.

My husband read the book before me and had a hard time with it because much of the story is told from the perspective of a kidnapping pedophile. It is pretty gross being in this guy's head, but I thought it was an interesting (though repulsive), different perspective.

If you can get past the ick factor, it's a good book.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn’t read anything by this author before, but I’m always up for new mysteries. It was pretty good. Not so good that I plan to add any of his other books to my already too-long list, but good enough that if another of his books were to cross my path, I’d read it. The only thing that really bothered me were the unnecessary “teen angst” scenes. I got a little tired of Essie’s friends complaining about how awful their parents were. And for a while I forgot just how young Essie really was.

[Sami · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. I read about 60 pages then was too grossed/weirded out to continue.

[Sarai Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the plot. Also, each character’s development was evident md the suspension through the book kept me hooked. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Melissa Follett-Filice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just seemed so scattered and then ending was weird.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it creepy that some people target children for their sick pleasures. This book is just a reminder that people like that are out there. It's sickening. Glad I read this book. It's fast paced filled with chills and unforgettable characters.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this book was believable, with just a couple of spots that make you roll your eyes. I found myself rooting for young Essie, hoping that it would all work out for her in the end. Just remember, it takes place before much of today's technology was in place.

[Brett]

Thriller

[Dean Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorites. Highly recommended!