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Abducted
"Scream and I'll cut your throat."
In an instant, Ashley's life changes forever.
Two dangerous criminals have escaped from maximum-security prison. Taken as their hostage, Ashley has to play their game if she wants to save her family — and herself.
But they've underestimated Ashley.
She'll do anything to survive.
In an instant, Ashley's life changes forever.
Two dangerous criminals have escaped from maximum-security prison. Taken as their hostage, Ashley has to play their game if she wants to save her family — and herself.
But they've underestimated Ashley.
She'll do anything to survive.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2016
About the author
Robert Swartwood
62 books310 followersUSA Today bestselling and ITW Thriller Award–winning author of The Serial Killer's Wife, The Killing Room, Man of Wax, and several other novels. He created the term "hint fiction" and edited Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 2, 2017
“Abducted” starts out on an exciting note – escaped felons taking a hostage – and along the way has a few good ideas to help move the plot. However, I wasn’t even close to halfway through the book and already I was praying for the end, only to eventually find the second half of the book was worse than the first.
Author Robert Swartwood should have classified this book as a fantasy, because it never could have happened. If it was made into a movie, folks who enjoy non-stop action would love it, as the book definitely does have a lot of gun battles, fights, and so on. Even so, one would have to totally suspend disbelief for the entire movie, the same as a reader would have to do with this book.
People switch sides so often that the book deserved to have come with a scorecard. The author probably intended for these changes of allegiance to be surprising for the reader, but they happen so often that it becomes nothing more than an overused device. If Mr. Swartwood was set on having his characters revealing themselves to not be who we think they are, then there should have been much more character development to give his people motivation for why they would choose to do what he has them do. The book’s characters are one-dimensional, and only have one reason for what drives them on.
What first bothered me about the book was the disregard for police and prison procedure. Much of what the book would have us believe might be acceptable on television, but in the real world, the described events would never happen. The prison warden jumping in a car and chasing his escaped prisoners across the state, for instance, was just the start, and I could write a book on the lack of realism. This would include the killing of innocents, which research has shown that the everyday person finds it extremely difficult to kill another, even when his life is in danger. There are kill scenes in “Abducted” that are counter to the facts.
For those who don’t like obscenities in their reading, you will want to pass on this book. Vulgarities and oaths fill the pages, and while there are times the language might add a touch of realism, there are many moments when the gratuitous use of the f-bomb is unnecessary.
The shame is that, judging from the book, Mr. Swartwood is a good writer. He can string paragraphs of decent description together, and the greater majority of his dialogue is believable. Unfortunately, most of the action is not, and a heavy dose of research would have helped this book to be much better. Two stars.
Author Robert Swartwood should have classified this book as a fantasy, because it never could have happened. If it was made into a movie, folks who enjoy non-stop action would love it, as the book definitely does have a lot of gun battles, fights, and so on. Even so, one would have to totally suspend disbelief for the entire movie, the same as a reader would have to do with this book.
People switch sides so often that the book deserved to have come with a scorecard. The author probably intended for these changes of allegiance to be surprising for the reader, but they happen so often that it becomes nothing more than an overused device. If Mr. Swartwood was set on having his characters revealing themselves to not be who we think they are, then there should have been much more character development to give his people motivation for why they would choose to do what he has them do. The book’s characters are one-dimensional, and only have one reason for what drives them on.
What first bothered me about the book was the disregard for police and prison procedure. Much of what the book would have us believe might be acceptable on television, but in the real world, the described events would never happen. The prison warden jumping in a car and chasing his escaped prisoners across the state, for instance, was just the start, and I could write a book on the lack of realism. This would include the killing of innocents, which research has shown that the everyday person finds it extremely difficult to kill another, even when his life is in danger. There are kill scenes in “Abducted” that are counter to the facts.
For those who don’t like obscenities in their reading, you will want to pass on this book. Vulgarities and oaths fill the pages, and while there are times the language might add a touch of realism, there are many moments when the gratuitous use of the f-bomb is unnecessary.
The shame is that, judging from the book, Mr. Swartwood is a good writer. He can string paragraphs of decent description together, and the greater majority of his dialogue is believable. Unfortunately, most of the action is not, and a heavy dose of research would have helped this book to be much better. Two stars.
March 28, 2016
Robert Swartwood's books are always fun to read and this one is no exception. Abducted reads like the book version of the movie Wild Things if you remove the bad dialog and sex scenes(keep Matt Dillon for his cool rating). Comparing a book to Wild Things probably sounds like an insult but it's not. Comparing it to Hudson Hawk would be, but not Wild Things. At the heart of Wild Things there's a solid plot that keeps the reader guessing until the three way distracts us. I had that same core feeling when reading Abducted.
Abducted has no slow moments, no breaks to walk on the beach, no time to sit down and discuss hurt feelings. It does have a knife to the neck, gun fights, high speed chases, evil bad guys, on the fly hacking, double crosses, panties on the floor but........no distracting three way. Fast pace in the way many try but few can pull off. Check it out.
Abducted has no slow moments, no breaks to walk on the beach, no time to sit down and discuss hurt feelings. It does have a knife to the neck, gun fights, high speed chases, evil bad guys, on the fly hacking, double crosses, panties on the floor but........no distracting three way. Fast pace in the way many try but few can pull off. Check it out.
April 18, 2016
A prison break and Ashley becomes a hostage! When you think you’ve got it all figured out, BAM - you’re so busted!
I found this psychological thriller to be highly engrossing and fast-paced throwing me completely off the track. The writing is a bit out-of-the-ordinary but perfectly pitched for this particular plot. At first I felt far from connected to the main character – but the author absolutely meant for readers to feel this way. It all played out in the end and made sense. I don’t plan on ruining the fun of the read for others, so I’ll just stop here with one final thought.
This is a first time read from this author. It most definitely won’t be my last. I became a prisoner from start to finish - never leaving my cell!
I found this psychological thriller to be highly engrossing and fast-paced throwing me completely off the track. The writing is a bit out-of-the-ordinary but perfectly pitched for this particular plot. At first I felt far from connected to the main character – but the author absolutely meant for readers to feel this way. It all played out in the end and made sense. I don’t plan on ruining the fun of the read for others, so I’ll just stop here with one final thought.
This is a first time read from this author. It most definitely won’t be my last. I became a prisoner from start to finish - never leaving my cell!
April 30, 2017
To be clear, this is a "psychological thriller" about an abduction for about the first third of it. Then it becomes a matter of police pursuit, double crossing, traitorous federal agents, hidden robbery money, shootouts, impersonation, and basically turns into a TV cop series. A guy suggestively threatens a girl, and there's a lot of foul language.
On top of that, the story wasn't even believable. Of course, the corruption but when the good guys know a comrade's gone bad, they still don't exercise caution, and get killed. Except, of course, for the hero. Speaking of heroes, the protagonist perspective abruptly changes from the kidnapped Ashley to someone else, midstory. The characters are one dimensional and just keep dying. A female agent manages to singlehanded beat off a guy long enough to shoot him and then turn and shoot another, more experienced, guy who just has a penknife stuck in his leg.
If I wasn't ticked enough about the story change, I definitely am about the ridiculously unbelievable plot points. I paid a dollar for this and it wasn't worth it.
On top of that, the story wasn't even believable. Of course, the corruption but when the good guys know a comrade's gone bad, they still don't exercise caution, and get killed. Except, of course, for the hero. Speaking of heroes, the protagonist perspective abruptly changes from the kidnapped Ashley to someone else, midstory. The characters are one dimensional and just keep dying. A female agent manages to singlehanded beat off a guy long enough to shoot him and then turn and shoot another, more experienced, guy who just has a penknife stuck in his leg.
If I wasn't ticked enough about the story change, I definitely am about the ridiculously unbelievable plot points. I paid a dollar for this and it wasn't worth it.
March 14, 2018
Loved it! Super quick read with more twists than anything else I've read in a long time.
March 11, 2016
Abducted reads almost like a movie script. The events are reported in a matter-of-fact way, without giving the reader access to the character's inner thoughts. In the early stages of the book I found this weird and disconnecting. The story was so straightforward and with no insight in to the characters I felt like I didn't care about them.
Without giving anything away, this approach is intentional and necessary to the story. Some of the characters are not what they seem and this is the only way to protect the surprises to come. Once Abducted gets cooking it is a nonstop thriller and the reader has no idea what is coming next. This is a fast and fun read with a unique style, and I recommend it to all thriller fans. 5 stars.
Without giving anything away, this approach is intentional and necessary to the story. Some of the characters are not what they seem and this is the only way to protect the surprises to come. Once Abducted gets cooking it is a nonstop thriller and the reader has no idea what is coming next. This is a fast and fun read with a unique style, and I recommend it to all thriller fans. 5 stars.
July 3, 2016
The suspense begins at the start of this thriller when two escaped convicts are on the run. A woman is abducted at a gas station and the chase for the killers begins. Nothing is at it seems and every page of this book has a surprise. You never know which side of the law anyone is on until the shocking climax.
I was sucked into this book from the first page and could not believe what a guessing game it was. Just when I thought I had a solution a new twist would appear! I do not want to give anything away so make sure you read this suspense filled story.
I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
I was sucked into this book from the first page and could not believe what a guessing game it was. Just when I thought I had a solution a new twist would appear! I do not want to give anything away so make sure you read this suspense filled story.
I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2017
The storyline is full of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The good guys turn out to be the bad guys, the bad guys turn out to be undercover cops, the victims turn out to be part of the plot! So, wanting to see how this would end, I couldn't put the book down until I reached the conclusion. Very entertaining.
February 22, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I started reading this late one evening and it grabbed my attention from the beginning. I've always, quite naively, that law enforcement officers, FBI agents, etc. enforce and follow the laws that everyone else is expected to follow. This story is about two escapees from a prison. One of the escapees have information that will net them a million dollars. This details their path from the escape to the surprise accomplices they encounter in their quest. With that much money involved, they soon find out there's no one they can totally trust. Just when you think you've got everything figured out, there's an unseen twist that peaks your interest and keeps you reading. It was a quick read story and I really enjoyed it. I'm interested in reading more of this authors work.
June 9, 2021
Two escaped convicts escape from prison, murder a gas station clerk, and abduct a woman. A possible accomplice shows up dead. This is followed by one of the convicts raping their hostage while the other one leaves to let him do it and faffs around outside, unable to decide what to do. Turns out he's an FBI agent. It was at that point that I stopped reading. I went to the end to find out what happened and there are more FBI agents. Corrupt ones. I really, really didn't like this book at all. While I quite enjoyed the Holly Lin books, I don't plan to read any other books by Mr. Swartwood.
May 16, 2017
Quck-paced action with new twists at every turn
This was a quick read since I simply could not put it down. A prison escape, a woman abducted as hostage. FBI agents, track their every move. But how... are there plots and subplots that will be made clear?? How will one of the escaped convicts be able to protect the hostage from his partner's leering look..? Does one agent have an ulterior motive that may just get herwhole team erased. An excellent read.
This was a quick read since I simply could not put it down. A prison escape, a woman abducted as hostage. FBI agents, track their every move. But how... are there plots and subplots that will be made clear?? How will one of the escaped convicts be able to protect the hostage from his partner's leering look..? Does one agent have an ulterior motive that may just get herwhole team erased. An excellent read.
October 28, 2019
Fast moving story. Couple of twists I didn't see coming fairly early in the book. About half way, this thriller book becomes more of a cop/FBI tv show; police pursuits, double crossing, traitorous federal agent & shootouts
April 29, 2018
While I did enjoy this book, there were a few too many characters/names to keep track of. I had to keep backing up to remind myself who was who!
October 2, 2019
Good read
Found this book to be riviting. Started reading in the Doctor's office and had to finish as soon as I arrived home. Kept my interest.
Found this book to be riviting. Started reading in the Doctor's office and had to finish as soon as I arrived home. Kept my interest.
October 7, 2019
Crap
Carelessly and shallowly written. About as generic as you can get. I’ve read other books by the author that were infinitely better.
Carelessly and shallowly written. About as generic as you can get. I’ve read other books by the author that were infinitely better.
October 20, 2019
Good story
Another good story by Mr Smartwood. An enjoyable read that keeps you trying to figure out what is going to come next.
Another good story by Mr Smartwood. An enjoyable read that keeps you trying to figure out what is going to come next.
February 2, 2020
So many twists and turns!
I don't think I have ever read a book so fast. I wanted to earn the characters, no, no, no. Action packed!
I don't think I have ever read a book so fast. I wanted to earn the characters, no, no, no. Action packed!
April 28, 2020
First book I’ve read by this author, devoured it in a day. It’s fast paced and very thrilling. I completely enjoyed it from start to finish.
January 28, 2021
Another great read from Rob.
January 11, 2024
A bit convoluted in my opinion. Too many bad guys pretending to be a good guy.
August 17, 2024
Nice, quick book with lots of action.
March 28, 2016
5.0 out of 5 starsA super thriller
By Miss Lyn on March 28, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Ashley has stopped at a gas station and suddenly finds herself abducted into a world of fear and violence by two very evil men with nothing to lose.How will she get away from these horrors?
This stand alone book takes you on a horrifying ride full of twists and turns. Don't miss it!
This book was given to me in return for a fair review.
By Miss Lyn on March 28, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Ashley has stopped at a gas station and suddenly finds herself abducted into a world of fear and violence by two very evil men with nothing to lose.How will she get away from these horrors?
This stand alone book takes you on a horrifying ride full of twists and turns. Don't miss it!
This book was given to me in return for a fair review.
November 2, 2016
I loved this book - really kept me gripped right until the end - when it just seemed to end - abruptly!! I hate books that just finish with no real explanation - so frustrating and if this is his style of writing then I wont be reading any more Robert Swartwood books incase this is the way he finishes all his books!
June 24, 2016
Great thriller!
Robert does a great job, keeping the reader on edge, at all times you are wondering who and why all the time without becoming bored. Great read for a short plane ride.
Robert does a great job, keeping the reader on edge, at all times you are wondering who and why all the time without becoming bored. Great read for a short plane ride.
April 12, 2016
A very fast read... easily in one sitting with surprising twists. Fun!
May 28, 2016
Excellent
Very good book, very clever and well written. My first time reading this author but probably not the last. Highly recommend.
Very good book, very clever and well written. My first time reading this author but probably not the last. Highly recommend.
May 29, 2016
Great Thriller
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes plot twists and turns with an unexpected ending. A page Turner.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes plot twists and turns with an unexpected ending. A page Turner.
June 27, 2016
Had my attention until the final chapter.
Enjoyed this author,will look for more to read by him. A very good story with a lot of surprise twists by the characters.
Enjoyed this author,will look for more to read by him. A very good story with a lot of surprise twists by the characters.
September 3, 2016
Wow!
The story kept twisting and turning like a switchback mountain road. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. It's nice to finally read something that's not predictable.
The story kept twisting and turning like a switchback mountain road. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. It's nice to finally read something that's not predictable.
October 11, 2016
A great fast paced thriller with many twists. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Read it way faster than expected as I couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews