The Abduction [Hardcover]

James Grippando (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1998

U.S. Attorney General Allison Leahy, the most powerful lawyer in the country, is the Democratic presidential candidate in the last days of a highly charged election. Her opponent is Lincoln Howe, a prestigious African-American and former army general.

The tension escalates when Allison's vengeful former lover surfaces, threatening to thrust her past into the harsh spotlight of the relentless media. As the opposing camps battle for the lead, the mood turns desperate. Then, Howe's 12-year-old granddaughter is kidnapped on her way to school.

With the stakes sky-high, Allison does everything she can to aid the FBI's search for her opponent's missing granddaughter. The clock ticks on toward election day, and as the clues seem to lead her back to someone at the heart of her own campaign, Allison has to put aside her political ambitions if she is to save the life of an innocent child.

Filled with heart-stopping suspense, The Abduction delivers the electrifying excitement that Grippando fans have come to expect.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The presidential election of 2000 is coming down to the wire in this disappointing thriller, when Democratic candidate (and attorney general) Allison Leahy blows a solid lead by refusing to answer the question whether she's ever been unfaithful to her husband. Just as Republican candidate Lincoln Howe (read: Colin Powell) is about to pull ahead, his granddaughter is kidnapped. Leahy's own newly adopted baby daughter was the victim of a similar crime eight years earlier. Are the abductions linked? Is someone connected to either of the candidates responsible? Those are the questions that never quite propel Grippando's latest, after The Informant. While that novel had a strong narrative engine fueled by insider information on the FBI, this one never hits second gear. Neither Leahy nor Howe seems a particularly worthy candidate or likable person, and the possible villains?an ex-boyfriend, a pair of conniving campaign managers, Leahy's tough businessman husband?are equally flat and unconvincing. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A U.S. attorney general running for president must deal with the kidnapping of an opponent's granddaughter.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (March 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060182628
• ISBN-13: 978-0060182625
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,944,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After twelve years as a trial lawyer with Miami's most prestigious law firm, James Grippando is now a national best-selling author of thirteen suspenseful thrillers in as many years, including Lying with Strangers, When Darkness Falls, Got the Look, Hear No Evil, Last to Die, Beyond Suspicion, A King's Ransom, Under Cover of Darkness, Found Money, The Abduction, The Informant and The Pardon. His first novel for young adults, Leapholes, was published in 2006, as well as his first short-story, Operation Northwoods, which appeared in the critically acclaimed Thriller anthology. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in twenty-four languages.

James's first job out of law school plunged him headlong into death penalty cases. That experience was an inspiration for his 1994 debut novel, The Pardon, a legal thriller that critics heralded as a "bona fide blockbuster." Beyond Suspicion (2002) was the long-awaited sequel to that first novel, and it launched an exciting new series that features Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck and that critics have heralded as "John Grisham meets Robert Ludlum."

As a lawyer, James was an avid writer. His numerous scholarly articles appeared in some of nation's top law reviews, and they are frequently cited with approval by the courts. His trial practice ranged from complex corporate litigation to class actions on behalf of chicken farmers. As a frequent volunteer in Florida's guardian ad litem program, he helped provide legal representation to neglected children in family court proceedings. He was a faculty member with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Nova Southeast University. He was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida's emerging leaders, and in 2006 he received the Distinguished Author Award from Scranton University. His alma mater is the University of Florida, where he graduated second in his undergraduate class and earned his law degree with honors. He now serves Of Counsel to David Boies' law firm, Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP.

James lives and writes in Coral Gables, Florida, and he is married to Tiffany, who has been his unofficial editor since book one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Certain Bestseller for Grippando, April 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Abduction (Hardcover)

Though it lacks the macabre tension that drove his last book (The Informant), The Abudction is a compelling and entertaining read that will only solidify Grippando's status as a top thriller writer. The author instantly sets the stakes high: a female attorney general is driven to become the first woman president; a retired army general is just as determined to become the first African American president. To what lengths will these candidates (or their supporters) go to win the election? How far might their enemies go to keep them from the White House? Whatever your political leanings, you will be caught up in this riveting tale of misguided ambition and ultimate betrayal. Grippando doesn't creat the formulaic "good guys" and "bad guys" found in cookie-cutter thrillers. He creates real people (in this case, politicians), which will keep readers wondering just who the real good guys are. The result is a believable high-concept mystery/thriller with a surprise ending that makes for non-stop enterntainment. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE IT-----"GREAT"!!!, July 4, 2002

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Abduction (Mass Market Paperback)

Allison Leahy had a daughter kidnapped eight years ago. Now she is running for President and the Grandaughter of her opponent is kidnapped. Did Leahy have it done? Did Lincoln Howe, the grandfather, have it done? Who is the strange kidnapper and who hired him? Where does Mitch O'Brien, Leahy's ex-boyfriend fit in? You can have the answers to these and other questions by reading the book. If you like mysteries, this is a must read. There are many twist and turns put when explained they all make sense. You will find yourself wanting to read faster and faster to see what happens. You can relate to the characters and have feelings for them. Lots of action. Movement all the time, no dead pages. Truly a "Great" book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK I HAVE READ IN YEARS!!!, October 17, 1999

By 

Crystal Rose, author of The Turning Point h... (Rapid City, SD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Abduction (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel kept me up all night. I just couldn't put it down! A GREAT story that keeps the reader guessing right to the end. HIGHLY recommended!!!!