Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation [Paperback]

Kristina Sauerwein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2008

The riveting story of the Shawn Hornbeck kidnapping case, which grabbed national headlines in January 2007 when Shawn and another boy were found in the home of Michael J. Devlin. Hornbeck had been in captivity for four years, was gradually given more and more freedom, but never tried to escape.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sauerwein, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the L.A. Times, delves into a puzzling kidnapping case with penetrating true crime reporting. She describes 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck's disappearance from his rural Missouri hometown, while riding his bike in 2002. He was abducted by Michael Devlin, an innocuous-seeming pizza-shop manager who repeatedly sexually abused and tortured Shawn for four years. In a strange twist, Devlin also assumed a fatherly role and Hornbeck became his son; even given freedom to go out alone, Hornbeck never tried to escape. Shawn was joined by another kidnapped boy, Ben Ownby, four days before the police nabbed Devlin in January 2007. The unusual psychological aspects of Hornbeck's captivity and his failure to attempt to escape are explained, according to Sauerwein, by the Stockholm syndrome, which leads a captive to bond with his captor. An impeccable, on-target true crime narration, this book of loss, perversity and redemption illuminates not only the desperate pangs of a predator's sexual hunger but the steadfast love of two families for their missing children. (May)
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Review

“An impeccable, on-target true crime narration, this book of loss, perversity and redemption illuminates not only the desperate pangs of a predator’s sexual hunger but the steadfast love of two families for their missing children.”

—Publishers Weekly

 

“No stone has been unturned.  This is a must read.”
—Jerald Barnes, a lieutenant with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
    and one of the nation’s most respected hostage negotiators

“Invisible Chains is a tribute to the courage, persistence, and resilience of these boys and their families.”
—David L. Corwin, M.D., Medical Director at Primary Children’s Center for
    Safe and Healthy Families and Professor and Chief of the Child Protection and
    Family Health Pediatrics Department, University of Utah School of Medicine

“…a deep psychological look at child predator Michael Devlin.”
—Caitlin Rother, author of Poisoned Love, the authoritative account of the Kristin

    Rossum murder case, and Twisted Triangle, a narrative of the Patricia Cornwell

    love affair case

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599213443
• ISBN-13: 978-1599213446
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Glorified Newspaper Account!, January 12, 2009

By 

Shanna McQueen "True Crime Valentine" (Lubbock, Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation (Paperback)

Normally, I agree with most Amazon reviewers. This time, however, I must object. INVISIBLE CHAINS is not a 5 star read and, in some ways, I feel my rating of 3 stars is generous. Here is a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good: The author did consult with several psychologists and forensic psychiatrists who have studied the Shawn Hornbeck abduction. The portion of the book pertaining to the kind of sex offender that Michael Devlin was and remains is by far the most interesting section of the book and reads quickly.

The Bad: The author DID NOT interview Shawn Hornbeck, either of his parents, Ben Ownby (the other abducted child found in the shabby apartment), or either of his parents. She also did not speak with any of the lead investigators or the prosecuting attorney. Every quote provided by any of these individuals was taken from previously written accounts in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Associated Press, and other publications. Because there were no interviews with any of the key figures, there really is no information in the book pertaining to the abduction and abuse that could not be gleaned from newspaper accounts.

The Ugly: The first 6 chapters of the book (a full 60 pages) detailed the ongoing search for Shawn Hornbeck in the 6-8 weeks following his abduction. These chapters were interminably long, repetitive, and boring. (How many times must one read that there were no clues found?) These chapters could easily have been reduced to one chapter without losing any content.

The author has a rather awkward style of writing in which she frequently writes sentence fragments as complete sentences. I understand that sometimes this literary tool is used to add interest or underscore a point. However, this technique was employed throughout the length of the book and was, simply put, very awkwardly used and overused. It was a less than stellar attempt at writing and did nothing to further the impact of the written word.
Finally, the author did not maintain a coherent timeline. There were many, many occasions in which the author jumps backwards in time to reiterate or add to information that had already been discussed. Again, it was simply an awkward recounting of events.

While I understand that Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby and their families are owed thier privacy and the children are under no obligation to disclose the details of their captivity and sexual abuse, I did find it more than disappointing that the information contained in the book is no more than what could be gained from reading newpaper accounts that were, in an of themselves, vague. For instance, what did Shawn do every day while Michael Devlin worked at a dead-end job as a pizza parlor manager? Even basic questions such as this are not explored and not answered.

In closing, if you are an avid True Crime fan hoping for previously unknown information and relevant interviews with the victims and their families, you will not find it here. And, while the public is certainly not owed an explanation about the tragic events that unfolded inside a grimy apartment where 2 young boys were held captive and subjected to repeated sexual abuse, I do not think a book totaling 318 pages was necessary, helpful, or particularly interesting.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful account of the Devlin tragedy, April 8, 2008

By 

Margaret A. Fullenkamp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation (Paperback)

A great read! I truly enjoyed that this book was not a sensational account of a true tragedy. The author presented the story in an extremely intelligent way, citing experts in many fields. I appreciate the journalistic look at such a compelling story. It is nice to read a book on a subject like this where the author does not take liberty with the facts. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a complete and comprehensive account of the story that rocked the nation last year.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for public, nothing new for some, April 16, 2008

By 

CucFan "CG" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation (Paperback)

Some people wonder how to prevent child abduction/abuse, so they'd like to know exactly what happened, how it happened, and what kind of man Devlin was. This book answers those questions. More importantly, this book fully answers and explains all the psychological reasons why Shawn didn't escape (hence the title).

Some people became extremely interested in this case, either before or after Shawn was found. Particularly after he was found, there was intense and prolific sharing of every new development via the Court TV forums, the St. Louis and national media websites, and Christopher Leonard's excellent coverage for the Associated Press. We have rallied behind the family & their cause, and rejoice in their recoveries. If you are one of us, this book has *nothing new* except for psychological information and interviews with experts. Very few, if any, new interviews have been done (none with the families), and all quotes are familiar from items we've already read and discussed. If you fit this category, you may wish to skip this book.

However, this book is extremely educational for the general public. The author has drawn together many published sources and tied it together in a way the general public can understand and learn from. After reading it, the general public will understand much more clearly why Shawn didn't leave, and that a victim of any age can be made psychologically unable to escape even when physically able to do so. For anyone who thinks they or their child would have handled the situation differently, this book will point out the sobering facts.

Additionally, the story of Shawn's recovery and the relationships among the Akers family is quite inspirational, as they have supported and stood by him every step of the way and helped him grow into a healthy and successful adult - unlike some of the families of former abduction/abuse survivors. Reading about Shawn's journey from victim to survivor gives the reader hope in a dark world.