Stolen (MIRA) [Paperback]

Jason Pinter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2009 | Series: MIRA

Five years ago, six-year-old Daniel Linwood vanished without a trace. Today he came back. It's a blessing for both Daniel's family and their community. And I've got the exclusive interview. But it turns out he's just one of a string of abducted children who have mysteriously returned to their families - with no memory of their lost years. To get the story, I need the help of the one woman who owes me nothing - and I've got to find answers before more lives are snatched away.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pinter's ambitious third Henry Parker novel opens as Daniel Linwood, 11, suddenly reappears on his family's front porch five years after being kidnapped. Parker, a young but seasoned New York Gazette reporter, snags an exclusive interview with Daniel and his overjoyed mother. But Daniel appears to have no recollection of his missing years, and something he absentmindedly says in the interview deeply rattles Parker—convincing him there's a sinister undercurrent to this feel-good story. Working with his ex-girlfriend, Legal Aid Society lawyer Amanda, Parker meets resistance from law enforcement officials, a popular politician and even his own editor. What he gradually uncovers involves seemingly disparate individuals with unexpected motives, desperate to keep their activities a secret. Parker's first-person voice dominates: it lists between Parker as gritty, desensitized journalist and young romantic who wants little more than to spend the rest of his life with one woman. The emotional dichotomy makes Parker a captivating and complex protagonist, one whose pithy observations about New York are dead on. Pinter's chunky plot, rapid pacing and credible dialogue do the rest. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Thriller fans, we have a hot new name on the block to shout about!" - Daily Record "An excellent debut." - Lee Child "A first-rate debut from an author who dares to take the traditional thriller in bold new directions." - Tess Gerritsen "...a top-notch blending of crime, corruption and journalism at a breakneck pace." - Jeffery Deaver

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mira/ Mills & Boon (June 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778303012
• ISBN-13: 978-0778303015
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,676,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason Pinter is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Henry Parker series: THE FURY, THE STOLEN, THE GUILTY and THE MARK, which was optioned to be a major motion picture. He has been nominated for several awards, including the Thriller award, the Strand Critics award, the Shamus award, the Barry award, the CrimeSpree award and the RT Booklovers Reviewers Choice award. His books have been published in over a dozen countries in numerous languages and sold hundreds of thousands of copies around the world. At just twenty six years old, Jason was given a three book contract with MIRA Books, which was then extended to seven before his twenty-eighth birthday.

Prior to becoming a full time writer, Jason worked as a book editor for five years at three major publishing houses. Jason's weblog, "The Man in Black," (http://jasonpinter.blogspot.com) was named one of the top mystery blogs by Library Journal and one of the top writing and publishing blogs by Associated Content. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, and is a founding member of the author collective 'Killer Year.' KILLER YEAR: A Criminal Anthology, edited by Lee Child, was published by St. Martin's Press and MIRA Books in the UK and Australia. Jason lives in New York City with his wife Susan and their dog Wilson. He is currently at work on his next Henry Parker novel.

Visit me at www.jasonpinter.com or email me at [e-mail]. On Twitter? Follow me at www.jasonpinter.com/twitter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining suspense thriller, August 7, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stolen (Henry Parker Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Six months has passed since New York Legal Aid attorney Amanda Davies ended her relationship with New York Gazette reporter Henry Parker because he chose work over her. Since getting a job on the newspaper, his life turned hectic and dangerous but not just for him; anyone close to him including Amanda (see THE MARK).

However, the investigative reporter puts his personal life on hold again when he is given an incredible exclusive. Five years ago, then six year old Daniel Linwood was kidnapped; the case went cold until now. Suddenly eleven years old Daniel has come home. He remembers nothing as to where he has been, what happened to him, or even how he ended up back at his family's house. Henry interviews the child, but learns nothing about the mystery from the kid. He and Amanda soon learn that other children have been abducted and ultimately returned. As they dig deeper, an unknown adversary is willing to kill the nosy journalist and his former girlfriend to prevent the truth from surfacing.

The latest Henry Parker investigative tale is an exciting whodunit as the hero and his ex girlfriend team up on the case. Henry is terrific as his inquiries leave him confused with more unanswered questions; his first hand account enhances his bewilderment and that of the audience as the motive is just out of reach. However, it is his sort of schizoid personality that makes him a superb character as he is a classic New York City cynic on the job and a closet romantic in his home. Fans will appreciate this entertaining suspense thriller with the right touch of sexual tension to augment a fine read.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, Disrupted, February 15, 2010

By 

J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stolen (Henry Parker Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Author Jason Pinter steers Henry Parker down a slightly different road in "The Stolen", the third book in the popular series about an investigative journalist who tends to become dangerously involved in the stories he is reporting. Here Henry runs into less action and derring-do than normal (although there are still ample quantites of both), and becomes more deeply entrenched in mystery and in the work of straightening out his private life.

The mystery is a real corker. A young boy, taken from his family, suddenly shows up years later with no memories of where he has been, what he's been doing, or who kidnapped him. Henry soon discovers a pattern involving other children who disappeared without a trace, and then eventually turned up, seemingly unharmed but with their memories erased. The course of the investigation reunites him with his ex Amanda, a child welfare advocate whom he had dumped out of concern when one of his previous cases put her in physical peril. The solution of the puzzle leads both Henry and Amanda into more danger than they have previously encountered, and prompts them to reassess the feasibility of their relationship.

Pinter is a very talented writer who has a way of hooking his readers into each new story within the first paragraphs, and then stringing them along - willingly and pleasurably - until the last page. He does have one problem that becomes obvious in this particular novel, and only gets worse throughout the next several books in the Henry Parker series. Pinter needs a more diligent proofreader. One page 183 of "The Stolen", he writes: "There were three doors, both closed." Huh? Such gaffes tend to disrupt the flow of the story, destroying the exciting pace that Pinter has worked so hard to establish.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a book for literary snobs or professors, December 6, 2009

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stolen (Henry Parker Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm one who very much appreciates those books which are true literature, but I can also appreciate and enjoy the pulp like page turners. Jason Pinter's books come closer to the latter category. I was itroduced to his books and his character, Henry Parker, in THE FURY which was very much the page turner, and then read the first book, THE MARK, another page turner. THE GUILTY was a slow down, and this book also is slower than THE MARK and THE FURY, but has more depth with the continuing characterizations of Paulina Cole and Jack O'Connell along with the progressive story of Henry and Amanda. The plot again is based on a very improbable, not totally plausible, premise, but one which is highly entertaining and while short on high voltage action should keep most readers engrossed.I do suggest reading these stories in order so that you're aware of the main charcter's growing maturity along with the developments in Pauline Cole's and Jack O'Connell's characters.