by Alton Gansky
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Product Description
Judith Find, a powerful business executive, finds herself helpless in the face of a kidnapper’s demands. Luke Becker is her reluctant ally in rescuing the victim. And eight-year-old Abel, the victim, is about to become their remarkable guide to freedom from the secrets that have dogged them both.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
An inspirational thriller that explores genetic manipulation, secrets, and redemption, 2008-08-18
Veteran suspense writer Alton Gansky opens FINDER'S FEE with a chilling beginning, full of promise. Forty-five-year-old famous, successful businesswoman Judith Find seemingly has it all. Her company is her life, and she "developed emotional calluses long ago." Judith's husband has died, leaving her as head of the prosperous Find, Inc., a home decorating firm. But she won't be in that position for long if her stepson Marlin has anything to do with it. Bitter and feeling as if his inheritance has been stolen, Marlin is working to dethrone her and seize control of the company himself.
Then, a frightening call threatens to change everything. "You know what you did... If you hang up he will die." We don't know what she did, nor do we know who "he" is. Judith knows what she did but doesn't know the person who they are threatening to kill. All she has been given is a photo of a young boy with unbelievably lavender eyes, who presumably she must save. The readers' desire to discover her secret and who the boy is (and what about those strange eyes?) keep the pages turning.
Judith's path intersects with Luke Becker, a handsome 48-year-old stock market junkie who has also received a mysterious cell phone call --- and who harbors a secret of his own. "My biggest failing in life is that I haven't been paranoid enough," he tells Judith. Or, as the reader is told, "While some men might deny their neuroses, Luke embraced his." Both are at the mercy of an unseen person, nicknamed "The Puppeteer," who controls their every moves with phone calls, packages left at strategic locations and computerized instructions. They uncover a frightening genetic experiment that involves numerous children, including Abel, the small boy who becomes the focus of their search.
There are some nice passages throughout. Muses Judith, "Hundreds of people surrounded her... Any of them could be a saint and any one a killer... Everyone kept their thoughts, desires, and sins behind a mask of flesh. She knew this well. She did it every day." Judith's assistant, Terri, provides the faith notes in the book, whether it is inviting Judith to church or praying for her when she's in trouble. Toward the end, faith plays a somewhat awkward but more important role.
Gansky sometimes details too much body mechanics ("Judith pulled her silver Lexus SC convertible into the first open parking stall she found, exited, and walked into the restaurant. It took several steps before she realized that she moved with her head down and eyes fixed on the concrete walk. She forced her head and eyes up, reached for the door, and walked into the unknown.") This really slows the pacing down. However, he has some good, fresh lines ("Judith's patience dissolved like sugar in hot water;" or "...it took off like a herd of turtles;" "Luke's heart tapped like a drummer on caffeine") and handles the point of view changes easily. I learned at least one new idiom ("soul patch," I discovered after looking it up, is a tuft of hair under the lower lip), and another new vocabulary word, "impeller," a part of a jet. He does have an unfortunate penchant for the word "burbling."
Readers of one of Gansky's earlier novels, THE PRODIGY, will recognize some echoes of the superchild, spiritually advanced protagonist (Abel is not the central character in this book, but he does play an important role). Although they'll have to suspend disbelief toward the end, Gansky fans will enjoy this interesting and thought-provoking story of ethics, secrets and faith.
--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Another great story from a great writer., 2007-10-03
Alton Gansky is one of those writers you can't classify. One book may be a supernatural thriller, the next a mystery, then a thriller. There's one consistent feature in all his books though: they're interesting. Gansky is a great storyteller who knows how to keep you involved in the story.
"Finder's Fee" is a good book. It hits the ground running and does its best never to slow down. The characters are pretty well-developed and the plot makes sense. At first, I thought this story was going to borrow from his earlier novel "Prodigy", but it kept its own individuality throughout.
I couldn't put this up there as one of the best he's written, but it's a good story. Despite the fact that each of the characters were well written, I still didn't feel much for them or truly understand their motivations. They constantly risked death and the loss of their careers to keep their respective "secrets" quiet. When you finally find out the secrets though, it doesn't really make sense. I was expecting some deep dark shame that could never make it into the world. Instead, we get something that's relatively tame compared to what's on the news today.
I would recommend this novel without reservations, but it's not his best work. Start with one of his JD Stanton or Perry Sachs stories first.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliantly written..., 2007-07-09
The day had started off normally for Judith Find. She'd grabbed her customary cup of coffee, conferred with her loyal assistant, and started in on the stack of work that was on her desk. As CEO of Find Inc. she always had a lot to do and this day was no different - until she realized that one of the envelopes on her desk was ringing. When she opens the envelope and answers the phone inside, her world changes forever.
Luke Becker had started his day off normally too. He might never have seen the envelope on his doorstep if he hadn't gone out for his customary cup of coffee. Inside was a strange phone he'd never seen before, and it was ringing. If he'd never answered it, his life would have been a whole lot easier.
Both Luke and Judith have a secret. They'd both thought the secrets were long buried, but they were wrong. Someone is threatening to reveal those secrets if they don't cooperate. And worse yet, a life is in danger. A boy that neither of them knows has been kidnapped, and if they don't do exactly as the voice on the other end of the phone instructs, he will die.
FINDER'S FEE is suspenseful, cleverly written and full of twists and turns. Author Alton Gansky's well-developed characters draw the reader into a fast-paced plot that will keep them on the edge of their seats. Layers of deception are peeled away, one by one, on their journey to enlightenment, much like a person's real-life journey to faith and truth. Hidden between the cleverly crafted sentences, complex plot and ingenious characters is a message of spiritual growth. Gansky's style of presenting the spiritual is almost shy, though his writing is certainly anything but inhibited. Brilliantly written, FINDER'S FEE covers a lot of territory from corporate corruption and sinister motives to bioengineering and fertility methods, yet it also manages to include a surprising spiritual message as well.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Another Author to Add to My List, 2007-06-24
The problem with being a book reviewer is time. Now that I have read an Alton Gansky, I'm going to have to get a copy of each of his previous novels and read them. This is becoming a burden. I don't watch television anymore, I'm only up on the current events when they are a little old. I don't know any celebrities on first name basis. "Brad who? Paris? You're going to Europe -- Lucky!"
Finder's Fee is an intriguing story. Two people with a past that could ruin their present get sucked into a cat and mouse game. At first I thought the story might be similar to the movie "Cellular" which was in itself quite suspenseful. But it ends up going a whole lot of different directions, though Ganksy's created a story that begs a movie.
Well-rounded and likeable characters. Fairly heavy spirituality without preachiness. Tight suspense, some blood, some tragedy, plenty of treachery, even some sweet moments of romance. Like I said, I'm going to be reading more Alton Gansky.
As seen at Novel Reviews blog spot.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
another hit, 2007-05-22
Gansky is a master of suspense--this novel confirms it.
Judith Find, a famous interior design company president, receives an unmarked package in her mail one morning. She is blackmailed by a mysterious caller into going on a manhunt--or rather, boyhunt for a child in trouble. She is joined by a complete stranger, Luke Becker. They are thrown into a dangerous operation with more questions than answers on their side. Will they discover why they've been thrown together and save Abel before it's too late?
At first glance, kidnapping and blackmail seem to dominate the story. But finding the link between Judith and Luke opens a whole new aspect to the novel. Their pasts eventually are brought to light, revealing how they are interconnected. The journey to that revelation is frought with peril and meaning.
And ever since reading the Maddy Glenn series, I'm amazed at how Gansky can get into the head of the female protagonist. Excellent.
I'm a big fan of Gansky and would recommend all of his works, especially the Perry Sachs and Maddy Glen books and Crime Scene Jerusalem. This book slogged a bit--not the quick action like some of his, but still enjoyable.
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