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rozlev's review against another edition
5.0
A very fast read... easily in one sitting with surprising twists. Fun!
deearr's review
2.0
“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.
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