Author: Pamela Burford
Genre: Humor, Romantic Comedy
Release Date: April 7, 2017
About the Book:
A humorous romantic suspense novel that’s fresh, quirky, and surprising! Find out why Snatched has been described as “Janet Evanovich meets the Coen Brothers.”
Is an uncomplicated divorce and a fresh start at forty too much to ask? Apparently it is for Lucy Narby, whose life goes from blah to bizarro when competing kidnappers lock horns in her kitchen. And really, does the victor have to be that hot? If this is the Stockholm syndrome, it sure didn’t take her long to catch it!
Lucy’s kidnapper calls himself Will but looks suspiciously like ’80s child TV star Ricky Baines, whose acting career was cut short when he himself was snatched and held for ransom 25 years ago in a notorious cold case that remains unsolved. Will’s gang includes an aging French bombshell, an outlandish Irish giant with a mysterious past and a thing for Will’s sister, and long-lost Cousin Hal—a charming fellow who neglects to mention that he happens to be the twisted sociopath who kidnapped Will when he was still America’s favorite little star. Hal spent the past quarter century in the slammer for an unrelated murder, and now he’s out and determined to locate the two-million-dollar ransom Will’s family paid. Someone else dug up the cash while Hal was behind bars, and that sort of thing tends to make twisted sociopaths a tad grouchy.
Fortunately (or not), Lucy’s bigamous ex is on the case. But so are a gay private eye in a fat suit and a bad-tempered parrot with an ax to grind, so no worries. Everyone has a secret and no one is who he seems when Kidnap Fever strikes.
Is an uncomplicated divorce and a fresh start at forty too much to ask? Apparently it is for Lucy Narby, whose life goes from blah to bizarro when competing kidnappers lock horns in her kitchen. And really, does the victor have to be that hot? If this is the Stockholm syndrome, it sure didn’t take her long to catch it!
Lucy’s kidnapper calls himself Will but looks suspiciously like ’80s child TV star Ricky Baines, whose acting career was cut short when he himself was snatched and held for ransom 25 years ago in a notorious cold case that remains unsolved. Will’s gang includes an aging French bombshell, an outlandish Irish giant with a mysterious past and a thing for Will’s sister, and long-lost Cousin Hal—a charming fellow who neglects to mention that he happens to be the twisted sociopath who kidnapped Will when he was still America’s favorite little star. Hal spent the past quarter century in the slammer for an unrelated murder, and now he’s out and determined to locate the two-million-dollar ransom Will’s family paid. Someone else dug up the cash while Hal was behind bars, and that sort of thing tends to make twisted sociopaths a tad grouchy.
Fortunately (or not), Lucy’s bigamous ex is on the case. But so are a gay private eye in a fat suit and a bad-tempered parrot with an ax to grind, so no worries. Everyone has a secret and no one is who he seems when Kidnap Fever strikes.
Caution: Some spoilers here. Just can't seem to write this review without mentioning a few, but I'll do my best to not give away all.
"Snatched" is a crazy, mixed up, conglomerate of too many subplots and too many characters. Keeping those characters straight was a chore, especially since so many of them had alternate names. Will was actually Ricky, Keith was actually Hal, Archie (and at one point, Joe) was actually Wesley. It got rather confusing, especially since there was so much going on at the same time! The story kept flipping from a kidnapping 25 years ago to today's kidnapping, which wasn't really a kidnapping. It seems that some people actually want to be kidnapped and will pay to have their fantasy played out. But when the victim doesn't know it's all play-acting, things get really weird. It was funny... in an outrageously silly way, especially when additional kidnappers showed up who were hired by someone else.
In the midst of all this humor, we got some gruesome stuff too. During the kidnapping of a young boy 25 years ago, the kidnapper whacked off the finger of the kid. Ugh! Then there was this son-of-a-monster who constantly had his mind in the gutter and talked about having sex with young girls. Ugh! Ugh! At one point I actually hoped the bad guy would shoot Mick and get it over with.
I have to say that Pamela Burford did create some interesting characters. And the main plot was fun and interesting... but stopped about a third way through the book. Then all these subplots took over. I almost lost total interest and put the book down, but I did like the characters and had to see how the author would tie all these loose ends up together.
It should come as no surprise that everything Pamela writes is infused with her own quirky brand of humor, from her feel-good contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels to her popular Jane Delaney mystery series, featuring snarky “Death Diva” Jane, her canine sidekick Sexy Beast, and a fun love-triangle subplot. Pamela's own beloved poodle, Murray, wants you to know that any similarities between himself and neurotic, high-strung Sexy Beast are purely coincidental.
Pamela is the proud founder and past president of Long Island Romance Writers, Inc., a chapter of Romance Writers of America. Her books have won awards and sold millions of copies, but what excites her most is hearing from readers. Swing by and say hi at www.pamelaburford.com. And while you're there, don't forget to sign up for her newsletter. Not only will you learn about new releases, freebies, and other fun stuff, but you'll receive a free ebook as her special thank-you!
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