A Decent Ransom: A Story of a Kidnapping Gone Right

by Ivana Hruba

Available to download from Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble etc on the net.

Essentially a tale of redemption, the contemporary, fast-paced thriller blends pathos with intrigue, drawing the reader into the private world of a vulnerable fifteen-year-old boy, who believes himself to be the keeper of a kidnapped woman. Against all odds, the two forge an alliance with dire consequences for some.

Genres: Mystery

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Ivana Hrubá is a lovely, lovely girl and a writer of some "notable" talent, the sum of which will, just for your entertainment, be very modestly noted here. Specializing in writing bold, quirky and outrageously entertaining fiction, Ivana is what we call an undiscovered gem, an exotic island waiting to be explored or, as some people say, a territory best left uncharted.

Ivana concocted her first novel at the tender age of twelve when she was but a wee little girl wearing out her brother's hand-me-downs, chasing the geese off the village green in her native Czech Republic which was then under communist rule. Filled with poultry and very long sentences, Ivana's idyllic childhood came to an abrupt end in 1983 when she and her family crossed the Alps on foot to seek a new life free of communists and their blasted queues. After a year spent frolicking in a West German refugee camp, the family finally had a gutful of that sort of adventure, and they settled in Australia in 1984 where they've been living it up ever since.

Forward twenty years. Following the publication of her debut thriller 'A Decent Ransom' by the now defunct Kunati Inc. in 2008, Ivana developed the habit of talking about herself in the third person, a skill that comes in particularly handy when writing biographies. To this end, Ivana has also conquered her fear of appearing ridiculous due to excessive bragging as can be seen in this very intro right here.

In the tradition of all gifted folk, working for a living has never appealed to our author; therefore, Ivana has largely given up on the idea, preferring to spend her time writing books. How long she can keep it up will depend on how well her books sell... (Ivana has recently split the atom (again) when she discovered ebook publishing on the net and proceeded to convert her entire body of work into ebooks in hopes of a tremendous public response. Hint, hint, this is where you, the public, come in).

In the wake of the, dare one say, earth-shattering success of her debut novel (18 copies sold in North America alone!) published by Kunati in 2008, Ivana has retreated from her adoring public to gain some much needed perspective on her life. These days Ivana can be found traipsing around her garden practicing the ancient art of Feng Shui which, in Ivana's case, consists of pouring manure on her flower beds and cutting shrubbery into interesting geometrical shapes. Yes, a regular Edward Sissorhands, Ivana's letting her creative juices flow in many a new and varied direction. Having successfully faded from public view, Ivana has been able to spread her creative wings and work as a freelance writer completely undetected, dabbling in corporate copywriting, theatre promotion, copy editing, online blogging and wedding speeches. Finding these ventures a little more financially rewarding than her high-brow literary pursuits, Ivana has decided to seek out more of them so if you, dear reader, find yourself in need of a writer, give her a bell. She'll be delighted to get involved.

At the close of each day, Ivana likes to unwind in front of the computer where she spends time googling herself, rating her own books very highly and drawing cartoons for her own amusement. To unwind from that pleasure, she takes her dogs, cats, mice, lice, ponies, chickens and goldfish for a walk down the beach. It's a good life for everyone involved.

By the way, if you find yourself with a spare 5, 6 hours and can't get hold of a Bollywood movie, why don't you just go to Amazon.com in your country and download Ivana's books, hey? It will only take a minute and you'll be glued (she writes 'good', you know). You will make her very happy. Feel free to post reviews (only good ones) ;) Cheers, Yours Truly

P. S. This is a fan page only. Don't ask Ivana to be your 'friend'; she won't be. Friends show up as followers here on Goodreads and trust me, you don't want Ivana following your every move.

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very clever and creative. Ivana keeps you guessing and finally delivers a satisfying ending. As an author, she'll do just fine and I look forward to more books. I hope she turns more traditional in one of the future books. I would love to see her prose talent in basic form.

cheers
PEJ

[Zinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her first adult novel, author Ivana Hruba tells the story of a kidnapping gone awry. I suppose saying so beckons a definition of a successful kidnapping, which would depend on one's perspective -- as either the kidnapper or the kidnapped. We have in "A Decent Ransom" the perspectives of both. It is perhaps, then, up to the reader to determine if the unusual twists in this particular kidnapping end well or not (and I don't intend to give the twists away entirely).

This something of a roller coaster ride of perspectives is both the strength and weakness of Hruba's novel. Three cheers for the juggling it requires for an author to switch adeptly between one character to another, one perspective to another. That's a trick, and Hruba, mostly, carries it off with skill and gusto. Where she misses, and that juggled plate comes on occasion crashing to the floor, is by using first person ("I") for ALL perspectives, ALL characters. Since we are talking about a relatively large number of characters, this can lead to unnecessary confusion. The chapters are usually not too long, and each chapter tends to switch characters and perspectives. Maybe my mind is aging, but for me, this meant that I had to read sometimes as much as a full paragraph into the chapter before I could identify through which character's eyes I was now peering. More than once, this would force me to read to identify, then go back to the beginning again and read the same text a second time for context, now that I knew who was talking. That's just awkward. If the author really wants to write always in first person, then perhaps a chapter's heading might work as an identifier.

That gripe aside, we can get to the good news: "A Decent Ransom" is well written, fresh, fun, creative. Hruba knows what she's doing on a keyboard. Her characters have shape and color and voice. They are capable of pulling heart strings as well as tickling funny bones. It works. They work. And, that rare jewel too few writers wear? Hruba has it pinned front and center. She can tell a story and she can also tell it well (two markedly different skills). Sample this:

"The hundred-thousand-dollar question has the face of a sad clown balancing across a tightly stretched rope. One false step and ...

"The boy is no fool. He waits patiently. Slumped in the corner like a bag of wet clothes, he evokes the smell of familiar things. Chopped garlic. Cold pie. Lonely old men. Pool shop owners dissatisfied with marriage. Burnt oil and burgers. Hair grease. Jasmine tea. And somewhere in between, there's Bid. Steaming like a bucket of warm pee in the hot, dusty weather, he pumps petrol. Up and down, the old fashioned way he cleans the windscreens. Smiling at the tourists but watching me. Always watching. His eyes like a fish's. His cheeks like an old woman's ass. His hands like a turtle's claws. And always I said no."

See what I mean? Bravo! Hruba plays on all the reader's senses and that's what makes a story memorable. Add a quirky storyline of kidnapped young wife, straying husband, simple-minded kidnapper, the used (or is she the user?) mistress, the abusive partner in crime, the oriental stripper, stir it up with intrigue and revenge, and you are in for a fun ride. As long as you can keep them all straight -- enjoy!

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intoxicating Whirlwind of a Novel

Ivana Hrubá is a mesmerizingly clever, witty, intelligent, gifted writer! A DECENT RANSOM is not only a wholly well spun tale of a bungled kidnap caper which is not what it initially appears to be, but it is also an exercise in creative writing that places Hrubá in a high echelon of contemporary writers.

One of the many aspects of Hrubá's writing that marks her as an artist of note is her ability to create a varied cast of characters - from young teenagers to old men sugar daddies and used loose women, immigrants with issues particular to their backgrounds to average middle class couples in brittle relationships, older relatives with perversions to women with neuroses/psychoses who converse with their alter egos. And in bringing such animation to vivid life, Hrubá elects to allow the reader to hear from each of these many characters, divided for convenience into individual brief chapters, in the first person singular. Rarely have characters bristled with life as vibrant as the strange folks involved in A DECENT RANSOM.

Phoebus is a young teenager without parents who lives with his half brother Kenny, a wreck of a guy whose time is spent drinking and carousing with a Chinese pole dancing call girl called Janelle (though her given name is Mai Lin) who in turn entertains men while being in love with her fellow pole dancer Lien. Needing money from Kenny the girls tolerate their jobs and their needs drive Kenny to dream up a kidnapping caper that will supply money for all their desires. Phoebus is Kenny's devoted accomplice and together they kidnap pithy Kathryn thinking that her husband Rupert will pay a ransom for her return. Of course everything goes awry when the kidnapped Kathryn discovers her husband's infidelities with Janelle and old Zelda and a separate scheme develops to reverse the roles of perpetrators! After many twists and turns in the plot, brought to brilliant life by the fact that we are privy to the thoughts and vantages of each of the characters, the story winds to a surprising and satisfying climax.

Hrubá has a way with conversation, not only allowing the young Phoebus to speak in the innocent voice of a forgotten youth, but also in presenting the wisely phonetic mispronunciations by the German immigrants and the Chinese girls. Some authors try this and the flow of the story halts while the reader attempts to adjust to the varied verbiage. But Hrubá keeps things clipped to short chapters and offers just enough information with each character's voice to allow the reader to stay on track: other authors using this technique often offer a smorgasbord of dialects and chapter changes to match that prevents consuming a hearty meal.

Originally from the Czech Republic, Ivana Hrubá now lives and writes in Australia - and there are suggestions that her story does indeed take place in Australia despite the fact the it all seems so universal that it could happen anywhere. This is definitely an author to watch, a welcome new and original voice. If this book isn't captured for a screenplay it will be a big surprise.
Grady Harp

[GUD Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phoebus is a good, simple-minded backwoods kid who idolizes his big brother Kenny. Kenny, not much brighter, is full of spunk, full of himself, and full of plans. His plans generally revolve around getting away from the small town he grew up in and "being someone". His father (but not Phoebus') was a small-time crook, and Kenny dreams of being more, of pulling off something "big".

The central plan of the story is the title caper, a ransom job, and, despite the title, it does not go decently for all. The novel weaves through a handful of narratives, different small-town pairings, that slowly coalesce into a rich tapestry of intrigues, betrayals, and failures. Each point of view is distinctly rendered, and the different perspectives on shared events add depth to both the characters and the novel as a whole, especially as things build to a head.

The voice drew me in, and if you have some qualms about their capabilities and the central caper, don't worry: all will be revealed.

My favorite viewpoint was that of Mai Lin (aka Janelle), who has dreamlike visions. She and (her friend? lover?) Lien are Chinese strippers who live above their club (their club? or the club where they work?), doing the odd trick on the side. They, of course, have a dark secret, and Kenny's story is wound in with that as well. A good number of colorful characters are realized throughout the novel, all with their own stories, most looking for a way to change their lives. Everyone dreams of leaving, one way or another: some make their own plans; some pounce on opportunities; and some just hope.

My least favorite point of view was that of the kidnappee, Kathryn, though she did grow on me with time. I felt her mental issues were treated a little too simplistically, given how much of the plot hinged on her choices and actions. On the other hand, enough context was given to make her mental space plausible enough--but that was the main aspect of this novel that stretched my credulity.

One complaint meta to the story to itself is that the dialog was not visually separated from the narrative. That's not a conceit I enjoy, and it took me close to half the book to really get comfortable with it and stop noticing that there weren't quote marks around the spoken pieces. I really didn't see the point of that choice, and expect it's just a case of different backgrounds; if it was important to the telling, I missed why.

All in all, A Decent Ransom is engrossing--I highly recommend letting it grow on you and sampling its varied fruits.

Disclaimer: The review copy was provided free of charge and will be retained by the reviewer.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DECENT RANSOM is a story of a kidnapping gone right (according to the tag on the book). More than that it's a story about a bit of a misfit that somehow ends up okay, despite all the odds being stacked against him.

The storyline is pretty simple to start off with - two young (as is revealed) half-brothers, each a misfit in his own right, coming from a totally dysfunctional background, live in the dire circumstances that their mother deserted them in. The elder comes up with a classic get-rich quick scheme, the younger brother Phoebus is the one who deals with the majority of the consequences. Their intended victim, Kathy, is the beautiful, yet mentally fragile, young wife of a seemingly wealthy man. Her husband, Rupert, is a womaniser and when he opts to refuse to pay the ransom asked, the brothers are presented with the dilemma of what to do with their captive. What A DECENT RANSOM has done with this scenario however takes the reader on a substantially more complicated journey.

Told in multiple character points of view, the author somehow has designed a story that elegantly presents each characters viewpoints without the need to label or overtly lead the reader. There are subtle pointers to the voices of the various characters that the reader will pick up as they go along, as the viewpoint is silently switched, and you launch into a new chapter without necessarily knowing who you're listening to up-front. That ability to be inside the heads, to see what they see, to hear what they are thinking - rather than see "the character" first, creates a very intimate portrayal of a bunch of people in extraordinary circumstances. There's a lightness of touch, a sense of humour, a subtle drawing out of the absurdity of the mess that these people have gotten themselves into. There's also some fitting light and shade, particularly in the relationship between the two brothers, and the group of prostitutes, particularly a young Chinese woman, who seem to be their best friends. These are people who care about each other, and care about what they have done.

Obviously the reader is going to assume that the scenario for this kidnapping is prey turned predator, that Rupert's refusal to pay the ransom will mean that Kathy sides with the brothers to "get him". Nothing is ever that simple. A DECENT RANSOM requires some concentration and an ability to roll with the author. You're not going to get the story handed to you on a plate, but you are going to get something that is original, clever, and and just flat out entertaining.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author challenged the usual boundaries of contemporary fiction and bravely narrated the novel in the 1st person and through multiple perspectives of both male and female characters. The story time-line is not straightforward and it keeps the reader engaged; it gets complicated throughout the story but still, it remains amazingly clear to the reader. There are a few things that make this style of writing very distinctive:

The way the author presents various foreign accents which makes a platform for the comic element in the novel. The author also challenges the usual written sentence structure which also contributes to the funny side of the story.

“We had a conversation. In the truck, going down the mountain. I didn’t like it. I didn’t. Like it.” (the opening of Chapter 84)

There are very distinctive and elaborate monologues that quite often switch to dialogues between the character and another part of the character; such as consciousness or “Me” which I understand is an inner voice vocalizing fear and stressing the adherence to what is proper as a response to the character’s desires.

Further, there is somewhat surreal atmosphere at some points in this story. E.g. A dying character seeing “Them” coming, which may indicate some surreal being/s but it is up to the reader to imagine who “Them” might be.

A mesmerizing piece of fiction; Ivana Hruba lets her readers use their own intelligence to figure out things for themselves and also gives them space for imagination which gets topped off with the open ending. Thank you, Ivana:)

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "must read" for serious readers

This book delighted and thrilled the writer in me. I loved the turns and twists in the storyline and found the five primary characters fascinating. Each evoked either compassion or empathy and I "cared" about what was going to happen to them...something every writer wants their reader to feel...and something every reader hopes for.

The structure choice may confuse some, but I suggest " letting go" of expectations. In this novella, as the story unfolds, each of the major players express how they feel about the very same experience from their singular point of view. This drives the drama forward and I,for one, could not wait to see how these very different people would come together to create an event that none of them could possibly ever forget.

Review copied from Barnes & Noble edition of A Decent Ransom, titled A Decent Ransom: the Kidnapping.

Obviously, as the author of the said work, I couldn't agree more...

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting plot-driven story with appropriate redemption and come-uppances in the end.
The style was intriguing: four first-person point-of-view narratives that interwove from chapter to chapter, sometimes playing out the same scene from alternating viewpoints - very cinematic. There was sparse dialogue, and whenever it was presented, it came as part of a character's narrative - somewhat telling instead of showing.
The claustrophobic, sexual tension of the initial kidnap scene gave way to more movement in the second half of the novel, when the characters moved out of the house and new characters were introduced and various "plots within the the plot" became evident.This helped pick up the pace and keep me gripped and reading until the end.
A couple of items that did not work for me:
(1) the multiple first-person narrative style was also the book's undoing - these four narrators included a heavily accented Oriental woman, a stammering teenager, a housewife and her pool equipment operator loser-husband. Had they been allowed to "speak", as opposed to narrate, their characters would have been better drawn; all four characters seemed to be narrating as one type - an educated adult - perhaps the voice of the author. Sometimes, the narrators went through their lines as if they were trying to clear up plot points for the reader. I wonder if a plain old fashioned, limited third person viewpoint would have not worked better here? In the end, Kenny (not one of the narrators,) came across as the best drawn character to me. Experimentation in style is fine as long as it extends and improves our appreciation of the work - I'm not sure it quite worked here
(2) Setting was not clear. Words like telly, cricket bat, lift and petrol, led me to believe that this novel was set in Australia. But the pre-occupation with "cowboys and injuns", truck-stops and sombreros led me to conclude that it also could have been somewhere in the US Southwest. I'm not sure if "place" was deliberately muddied for commercial purposes, but a clear setting always grips me - even if it is in Timbuctoo. And having lived in Australia - I think it is a great country to set a story like this - it does not have to be masked.
In the end, the author shows her faith and compassion in the human spirit in the way the characters come to terms with their roles in the crime(s).

[Shannon McGee · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the begining of this book, I was captivated by the story. It is written differently then anything I have read before. Each chapter, you don't know which character you're reading about until the end. Sometimes it is the same character as the one you just read, sometimes a different character. It's one of those stories where you can't see the ending going well. And, well, it ended better than I thought, but I generally didn't enjoy the ending. I just think the message the end sent seemed like it was for a different book. The story is interesting and keeps you guessing, I just couldn't fully reconcile the ending with the rest of it.

[Ping · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that the story was told in several characters' perspectives was a novel way to tell the story. But sometimes it was confusing and I would realize I wasn't sure who was narrating. Lots of interesting characters and I liked how each switch of narrator revealed more of the inner thoughts of each as well as further the story. The pace of the book kept you on your toes. I agree with another reviewer that the ending was a bit off for some reason. After the twist was revealed, it seemed like what some of the characters were saying earlier didn't make sense.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was an enjoyable read. As the book progressed more and more of the characters spoke in the first person, which became rather confusing. The ending was weakly written. That being said, there were some very nice characters and for a beach book this is perfectly adequate.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good read.