Kidnapped

Irene Kelly #10

by Jan Burke

Reporter Irene Kelly and her husband, Detective Frank Harriman, are back in this New York Times bestseller, in which they work to untangle the threads of a past crime and a haunting disappearance while trying to survive the present.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Book Club

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2006

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read Bones and Bloodlines I was expecting another page-turning suspense-thriller but I was unpleasantly surprised. Kidnapped is definitely not one of Burke's best works. Despite it's interesting introduction to a mysterious character in the beginning, the story line takes too long to develop. The introduction of too many characters turn the story more complex than interesting. Trying to follow each family while trying to identify every member becomes cumbersome and worst of all, it becomes boring because none of the characters are developed enough to matter. It is not until the second half of the book that the story begins to take shape, some of the characters start to develop and the plot become clear. However, by then it is too late and most of the characters that one works so hard to identify in the start, become irrelevant. On the other hand, characters from a previous story are swiftly brought into the picture without a meaningful reason. If I hadn't read the previous book I would have wondered what some of them had to do in this story since they offered nothing to the plot. Too many characters, a weak plot and the lack of proper build up make this story fall short from previous works.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nail-biter, and no mistake. So many little threads of killings and kidnappings and disappearances and deaths, all woven together skillfully.

[Amy Bruestle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all of Jan Burke’s books!

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For picking a random book at a closing used book store for the price of $1, based on nothing but the cover, this book turned out to be fantastic! A few extra characters that weren't entirely necessary and it took a little while for me to actually figure out what was going on. But I'd say by about halfway through it became really fast-paced and entertaining. I guess sometimes you can judge a book by its cover?

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

KIDNAPPED (Unlicensed Investigator(Reporter)-So. Cal-Cont) – Okay
Burke, Jan – 12th in series
Simon & Schuster, 2006-Hardcover
*** Reporter Irene Burke does an article on kidnapped children that ties her into a 5-year-old murder of Robert Fletcher, for which one son is imprisoned, the daughter missing and the remaining son working with forensic anthropologist Ben Sheridan. Robert Fletcher’s father believed in adopting and fostering children, home schooling them before enrolling them in the prestigious Fletcher Academy.
*** Jan Burke is an author whose work I normally love, but this missed the mark for me. There was an assumption you had read the previous books of the series so character development was thin at best. The only characters who were truly distinctive and interesting were two young girls. There where so many characters, it was very difficult to keep track of them. Missing children is such an important issue yet the plot was implausible, convoluted in the extreme. The motive was weak and the ending was improbable at best. However, as the story progressed, the forensic information was very interesting, as was that about working with search dogs. There was some excellent, gripping suspense. The book wasn’t such that I won’t read more of Ms. Burke. But, for me, this was definitely not her best work.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly enough, I started to read this book and realized that I had read a portion of it before...looked up the information online and, yep, it was an email bookclub read 2 years ago! How's that for memory?

Anyway, to the book....

You read through this one knowing pretty much how certain things happened, so there's no surprises there. It's interesting, though, to follow the story as it develops for the characters.

The only thing that I noticed, which kind of bugged me just a little, is switching the narrator throughout each chapter. One moment it's Irene Kelly's chapter, then you realize that we're onto another character and it's there chapter. It doesn't detract from the story at all, just occasionally makes you have to pause and figure out who is talking.

All in all, this was a very good read. There was a lot in it, some of which might be better clarified by reading other Irene Kelly based stories that Ms. Burke previously wrote.

I think it's good for summer, for relaxation, because you're not having to figure out who did it, but it's not like every little things being handed to you outright. There's still a little thought that has to go into it. I found that I was getting totally absorbed into the book, which, for me, is a very good thing!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kidnapped started out well. It had an interesting premise with a murder, a kidnapping, and what appeared to be a wrongful conviction of another family member. The murder victim was a member of the Fletcher clan, a family of foster kids adopted by a benevolent millionaire and his wife. Despite their tough backgrounds, all of these kids grew up to be highly successful adults. And there were lots of them. It seemed almost everytime a new character was introduced, he or she was a closet Fletcher. Some of them were raising adopted children themselves, incredibly intelligent children. That's when the storyline took a sharp left turn onto Implausibility Boulevard. It went downhill from there as unlikely scenarios continued to unfold. I kept reading, it didn't get better. It's a 2 star instead of a 1 because the first quarter of the book had potential and there's dogs in the story. I love dogs.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young gifted children are disappearing in the town of Huntington Beach. Irene Kelly and her police officer husband are out to find out what is going on. The town is over run by the Fletcher family. Fletcher doctors, lawyers, dentists and they even have their own Fletcher Academy. Richard Fletcher has been murdered and his daughter disappeared at the same time. I found this story very confusing, too many characters and trying to figure out who was who. There didn't seem to be any point in what they were doing. I found the whole plot rather goofy even though there were moments of excitement.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book really kept your interest. I am very glad I picked it up. it makes me want to go back and read other Irene Kelly books just to see how they go. The story line on this one was very scary though. way too realistic in some sense. Maybe it just hti to close to home for me because i work with foster and adopted children all the time.

[Dawn Fayard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a problem with books that start off with a laundry list of characters...I spent more time flipping back pages to remember who was related by marriage,birth, adoption, foster care...yadda yadda..it was a bit annoying.

[Carol Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good murder mystery. However I found it difficult to keep track of so many different characters.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist Irene Kelly crafts a feature on missing kids in her town, and parents come from everywhere to tell their story.

Irene becomes fascinated with one case—a situation in which a young man sits in prison accused of the murder of his father and sister. He didn’t do it, and Irene figures out what really happened.

For reasons I can’t fully explain, my mind wandered a lot through this book. It’s probably not even the author’s fault. A broken water main near my building kept me scrambling for the nearest public bathroom all day. So, I’m sure my circumstance had some impact on my ability to enjoy this. This just felt a bit boring in places, and it could have been 25 percent shorter with much benefit. There’s only one more book in the series, and in a few months, I’ll read it to claim personal bragging rights that I finished the entire series.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I read Jan Burke, and I'm so glad I went back to my list of "to reads" here on Goodreads to pick up the ones I missed. This was thoroughly engrossing and heartwarming at the same time. A strange family of adopted and foster children hold the secret to child kidnappings. Irene Kelly, investigative reporter, follows up on the case of a man wrongly convicted and opens up a complicated mystery. Excellent writing and fun to read.

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna was a surprise. Never thought she would be associated with a killer or assist them but I'm glad no believes her when she tried to claim her innocence. People who assist killers, child nappers & any other serious crimes, should be put in prison with all the other criminals because they are as guilty as the real killers, kidnappers, thief, drug deals & crime boss, etc.

[Adriana Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just awful. Too many names of family members. Started off promising but quickly became super boring. I could barely read this it was that bad.

Normally I will read a good book non stop, this one I tried a few times then gave up, skipped to the ending then re read it backwards for context.

Never again ....

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many characters introduced that it was a challenge to keep track of who was who. Parts of the story seemed implausible while others simply farfetched. The premise of the story was good but I never became totally absorbed due to character confusion on my part and the incredulity of some situations.

[Lona Broadhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unique to the series. It had a different twist than most kidnap type stories I have read in the past. Nothing was what it seemed, I was completely surprised. I love books that keep me guessing. It was well-written and fast-paced. The characters were bright and interesting. Kidnapped kept me emotionally involved throughout the entirety of the book.

I highly recommend it.

[Alicia Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really 2.5 ⭐️ This book had so many damn characters that for a while I was genuinely lost while I was reading. Once I understood I was just disappointed in the over all plot. If you can't follow a story with a minimum of like 8 characters, deff skip this because I should've made me a damn diagram
To keep track of who was supposed to be who.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - It's been a while since I had read anything in this series and the description of this book intrigued me. It started out so good but as the story continued, it became harder and harder to suspend disbelief. The ending was touching but overall, I was disappointed. This could have been a great book if the plot hadn't become so over-the-top.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am loving these Irene Kelly books & have been giving them 5 stars. Although this one was a great thriller that I read in just more than one reading, I got sick of trying to remember who is who. Yes, I get that there are lots & lots of Fletchers. All necessary? No. It made the story confusing.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could missing children generate such an intricate plot right under the community's noses?? Are responsible, caring adults in a cult-like family responsible?? (Maybe reality has made this our first guess!)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting plot but almost too complex to be believed. There was too little of Irene Kelly who is the character that should be at the center of this series. Still I enjoyed it and it kept my interest.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed to have a lot of characters to keep straight, maybe if I had started with the 1st book that would have been easier. Anyway, good story some neat twists, some obvious plot lines but was fun to see how things played out.

[Westley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story. Not my fave mystery genre.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this story rather boring.

[Ch J Loveall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second Irene Kelly mystery I couldn't finish. I can't keep the characters straight.

[Roger Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book felt scripted and lacked any real surprises.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the best one of all.
Loved it.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters, implausible storyline and Irene Kelly's character is not very appealing. I got sick of her pretty quickly. Not sure I will read anymore about this character.