Identify crime novel about a kidnapped boy
December 17, 2005 12:34 PM Subscribe
Help identify this literature/crime novel filter...
From my wife - this is a mystery I read about 15-20 years ago. It involves a young man kidnapping an adolescent boy. The boy is sometimes kept in the trunk of the car and sometimes in an apartment. The boy ultimately dies from falling from the car, and in the end, an older Boston policeman is running after the kidnapper. It was very well done, and had chapters from different points of view, i.e., mother, kidnapper, boy.
From my wife - this is a mystery I read about 15-20 years ago. It involves a young man kidnapping an adolescent boy. The boy is sometimes kept in the trunk of the car and sometimes in an apartment. The boy ultimately dies from falling from the car, and in the end, an older Boston policeman is running after the kidnapper. It was very well done, and had chapters from different points of view, i.e., mother, kidnapper, boy.
As always, the librarians on the Fiction-L list are a good resource if you don't get the answer here. They do this kind of thing all the time.
posted by mediareport at 5:29 PM on December 17, 2005
posted by mediareport at 5:29 PM on December 17, 2005
Response by poster: My wife doesn't think it's either of those Gator, but thanks for the suggestion. And - mediareport - thanks for the link to the Fiction-L list, we're going to check it out. This *must* be a really obscure book, to only generate two replies on an AskMe post! Jeez, Santa's middle name got more than this!
Keep those suggestions coming, if there are anymore!
posted by jasper411 at 8:30 PM on December 17, 2005
Keep those suggestions coming, if there are anymore!
posted by jasper411 at 8:30 PM on December 17, 2005
Definitely not Billy; although it's told (not very well, in my opinion) from multiple points of view, it has a different ending.
posted by gentle at 11:07 AM on December 18, 2005
posted by gentle at 11:07 AM on December 18, 2005
I'm really curious about this now. jasper411, can your wife conjure up any other details, a half-remembered line of dialogue, locations, scenarios? Sometimes, like with this question, a small detail like that is what turns up the answer.
posted by Gator at 11:16 AM on December 18, 2005
posted by Gator at 11:16 AM on December 18, 2005
If all else fails, or while you're waiting around for Fiction-L folks to discuss it, you might stop in at your local public library. These kinds of questions are called 'readers advisory,' and librarians are trained in answering them. Along those lines:
Is the book set in Boston, or is it just a Boston detective?
Does she remember anything about the detective--hobbies, former employment, identifying characteristics, etc.?
Does she remember whether this book is part of a series?
Is this literary fiction or genre fiction?
posted by box at 12:44 PM on December 18, 2005
Is the book set in Boston, or is it just a Boston detective?
Does she remember anything about the detective--hobbies, former employment, identifying characteristics, etc.?
Does she remember whether this book is part of a series?
Is this literary fiction or genre fiction?
posted by box at 12:44 PM on December 18, 2005
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posted by Gator at 4:08 PM on December 17, 2005