Kidnapper [Paperback]

Robert Bloch (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812515765
• ISBN-13: 978-0812515763
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,848,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 21, 2007

By 

ThePaperbackStash.com (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kidnapper (Paperback)

The Kidnapper is one of Blochs' great achievements. Weighing in at a mere 216 pages, the engrossing tale starts with a bang and ends with an even bigger one. Written in the first person, you can't help but like the main character slightly, though obviously his deranged outlook and frequent using of people leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Rarely is a book written through the first person with this sort of character, but it's an eye awakener into the mind of a sociopath out for his own sake. Perhaps inspired by get rich schemes, this is the ultimate attempted scam gone wrong, an ideal warning against easy money never being earned the criminal way.

One thing that propels this book forward into the fast-read category is the high suspense ratio. Action does not begin on the first page and it takes a bit to get to the actual kidnapping, instead having various scenes between characters which would feel slightly boring if it weren't for the witty phrasing and unusual exchanges. Stakes always feel high when the actual crime gets done, everything desperate from day one, with each person taking a turn panicking. Disaster after disaster strikes to where - again - it's nearly funny, with Steve still seeming almost likable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Bloch's darkest nightmare, May 10, 2000

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kidnapper (Paperback)

Of all the tales Robert Bloch told this is the one that reportedly disturbed him the most. It is the darkest, nastiest look into the human heart of darkness that a person seems capable of. The fact that Bloch gives the narrator such a breezy and funny voice (an RB trademark) only increases the horrific gut punch this novel delivers. Robert Bloch was a master, this book shows you why.

5.0 out of 5 stars BETTER THAN PSYCHO, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Kidnapper (Paperback)

THIS PREDATES PSYCHO BY SEVERAL YEARS, AND IS THE BETTER BOOK BY FAR. WHILE SEVERELY DATED,IT IS STILL RELEVENT TODAY........A SMALL TIME LOSER COMES UP WITH A ''FOOLPROOF'' PLAN........HE ENLISTS THE HELP OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AND A FACTORY COWORKER.......HES CONVINCED HES LOOKED AT EVERY POSSIBILITY, AND THAT NOTHING CAN GO WRONG........BUT OF COURSE IT DOES......HORRIBLY.DESPITE THE DESPERATE STEPS TAKEN BY THE KIDNAPPER,BLOCH SAYS THAT WE ALL MIGHT HAVE A BEAST INSIDE OF US..........WHILE NOT AS POWERFUL AS ''NIGHT-WORLD'',THIS IS A CLOSE SECOND........