The Plantation [Paperback]

Chris Kuzneski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

The first to disappear is a ski instructor, out for a morning jog in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Hours later, a pregnant woman is abducted from a crowded hospital and smuggled past security without a hitch. Two places, two incidents, a single motive.

And so it begins. . . .

One by one, in cities across America, people of all ages are being taken from their homes, their cars, their lives. But these aren't random kidnappings. They're crimes of passion, planned and researched several months in advance, then executed with a singular objective in mind.

Revenge.

Ariane Walker is one of the victims, dragged from her apartment with no obvious signs of a struggle. The cops said there is little they can do for her. There isn't enough evidence to go on. Not enough time has passed. But that isn't good enough for Jonathon Payne. He loves Ariane and isn't about to sit around while her trail runs cold.

Using the skills that he learned in the MANIACs, a special branch of the U.S. military, Payne and his best friend, David Jones, give chase, trekking to New Orleans on little more than a whim, hoping that Payne's gut instinct pays off. It does. With the help of several locals, the duo slowly begin to uncover the mystery of Walker's abduction and the shocking truth behind Louisiana's best-kept secret: THE PLANTATION.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kuzneski's novel is swiftly paced but so sophomoric and offensive it makes Birth of a Nation look like a plea for racial understanding. An army of militant black men kidnap the white descendants of slave owners and transport them to a secret island compound. There, the girls and women are beaten and raped and the men sadistically tortured before being shipped to Africa to serve as slaves to black families. But the militants make a big mistake and kidnap Jon Payne's love. He and his best bud, David Jones (one of only two token heroic black characters), were part of a bloodthirsty elite military fighting team. They enlist their teammates for a take-no-prisoners attack on the island. Though this nonsense doesn't deserve a first-class rendition, that's what it gets from Dick Hill, who delivers it with enough enthusiasm and performance skill to make the irresponsible material seem thrilling enough to be almost acceptable. A Berkley paperback. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"NO READER WILL EASILY FORGET IT."
-JAMES PATTERSON

"IT''S SCARY GOOD."
-MARTIN J. SMITH

"ACTION-PACKED."
-NELSON DEMILLE

"DON''T MISS IT!"
-JAMES ROLLINS

"Excellent...High stakes, fast action, vibrant characters, and a very, very original plot concept. Not to be missed!"
-LEE CHILD

"A great plot twist...all I can say is hang on for the ride."
-DOUGLAS PRESTON

"Chilling."
-PITTSBURG POST-GAZETTE

"Chris Kuzneski has what it takes."
-RIDLEY PEARSON

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Iuniverse Inc (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595140513
• ISBN-13: 978-0595140510
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,965,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHRIS KUZNESKI is the international bestselling author of six novels. His latest thriller, THE SECRET CROWN, will be released in America in January, 2012.

Chris grew up in Indiana, PA, with his parents and three siblings. As a fourth-grader, he wrote his first book, The Monster Cookbook, a work of fiction that detailed the culinary and nutritional needs of a dozen creatures that he'd created. The school's librarian was so impressed that she had it hardbound and placed in the school's library with all the books that his classmates enjoyed. Unbeknownst to her, a career in writing was born.

Chris attended Indiana High School where he was voted Class Clown of his senior class and anchored the offensive line on a team that won back-to-back CENPAC championships. He continued his football career at the University of Pittsburgh ― playing with future NFL stars Tony Siragusa, Jeff Christy, Mark Stepnoski, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, and many others. Unfortunately, a freak foot injury ended his athletic career.

While studying at Pitt, he wrote for The Pitt News, the Indiana Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, eventually earning his B.A. in writing and his M.A. in teaching. From 1992 until 1998, he taught English and coached football in two western Pennsylvania school districts and was selected to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. But in his mind, he still wasn't doing what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a writer, so he quit his job and took a leap of faith . . .

His first novel, THE PLANTATION, was praised by James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, James Rollins, and several of the top writers in the genre. His next thriller, SIGN OF THE CROSS, was released in 2006 and became an international bestseller. So far, it has been translated into more than fifteen languages. SWORD OF GOD climbed even higher on the charts, hitting the New York Times and London Times bestseller lists. His fourth book, THE LOST THRONE, debuted in the UK Top-5 and stayed on the charts for several weeks. It was also his first American hardcover. His latest book, THE PROPHECY, reached #4 on the UK charts and was released by Putnam in the summer of 2010. The paperback version will be available in July 2011.

Chris currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida. When he's not enjoying the sun, surf, and hurricanes, he's working on his next Payne & Jones novel, which will be the seventh in the series.

For more information, please visit his main website: chriskuzneski.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LEFT ME BREATHLESS, April 5, 2001

By 

Pamela Stone - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plantation (Paperback)

I have to start off by saying that I loved THE PLANTATION.

32-year-old Robert Edwards, a ski instructor from Icy River, Colorado, is hunted down like an animal and taken hostage. At Longview Regional Hospital in Longview, Colorado, 33-year-old Tonya Edwards, who is eight months pregnant, walks into an elevator. When the doors shut, a man walks up and sticks a needle in Tonya's neck, puts her in a wheel chair, and rolls her to a waiting van. In Mars, Pennsylvania, Ariane Walker is dragged from her apartment and whisked away. Many disappearances are taking place in different cities. To Jonathon Payne and his best friend David Jones this is personal because Araine Walker is Jon's girlfriend, and they will do any thing to get her back.

The characters are multi-faceted with plenty of soul to them. Jon and David are my personal favorites; the author really lets you feel the close relationship and how special and rare that is these days.

THE PLANTATION takes you to Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, and Nigeria on a wonderful rough and tumble ride with many twists and turns. I was breathless wanting to read every last word slowly so I wouldn't miss a single thing. When I reached the ending, it was phenomenal, everything was all tied up into a nice tight bow.

This is one of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about or how awesome that it was. Thank goodness that Mr. Kuzneski is working on another Jonathon Payne novel. Three cheers.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Plantation, March 16, 2003

By 

L. Hinson "Reading Specialist" (N Myrtle Beach, sc United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Plantation (Paperback)

Isn't it wonderful that we don't all like the same things? How boring life would be! I am not going to repeat the basic plot because I think it has pretty much been covered. For a first book, I thought Chris Kuzneski created a book that will really hold your attention. The first 50 pages are too loosely connected, but the reader begins to see where the plot is heading. I am an avid reader, and I devour two to three books per week. I found it hard to put this one down once the girlfriend was kidnapped. Yes, the characters needed to be rounded out a little better, and I wanted to warn Payne & DJ not to trust Levon. Their approach to the problem doesn't match what special forces soldiers would do. They are just too trusting. Even I questioned the scene at the tattoo parlor; however, the suspense starts to build, and I am afraid I neglected my chores so I could finish the book. It is a very entertaining read. I was not offended by the black enslavement of whites, as one reader noted. The writer did a nice job of justifying why a black man would be motivated to create this project. It was plausible. I did get a little squeamish over the torture scenes, but the sexual byplay was minimal. I can imagine what an author like Jack Ketchum would have done with the scene in the cabin or the one with Susan Ross and the knife. This is not great literature, but I don't think anyone would consider their money wasted. I, also, look forward to the next book, but I hope his characters are a little more developed.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an INCREDIBLE book!!!, May 17, 2005

By 

Bob Rollins (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plantation (Paperback)

From the opening scene where you enter the action in the middle of a chase until the story's exciting conclusion, The Plantation is an adrenaline-filled book that never lets up. This is one of those novels that has a little bit of everything -- revenge, violence, romance, and humor. Lots of humor. The interaction between the two main characters (Jonathon Payne & David Jones) is hysterical at times, yet it never takes away from the tension of the plot. One minute you're laughing out loud, the next you're screaming in fear.

Overall, this was one of the best books I have ever read. I can't wait for Kuzneski's next one to be released.