An unexpected story, growing into a memorable and thought-provoking ride. What happens when you mix the holiday season, and a confused young boy with a troubled grifter searching for a sure thing, the big bankroll? This unlikely plot delivers one of the best novels I have read in some time.

Richly drawn characters, slowly revealing their inner demons and dreams to each other, offer a fascinating view into the human psyche. You'll care about them, and hold your breath more than once while reading this unusual tale of a kidnapping, a lonely man and a young boy.

A welcome mix of humor, suspense, twists and turns, you'll enjoy this book, whether at Christmas time or a sweltering summer day. ( )

It’s almost Christmas and times are tough, Duncan Wagner needed money to live off of so he concocted a plan to get one hundred thousand dollars by kidnapping and ransoming off the kid of State Representative Winthrop Booker. After several attempts to put the plan in motion, Duncan watches as Gabriel Booker misses his school bus and then, as he is hitchhiking down the road, gets into Duncan’s car. No snatching, no screaming, no tying up, just gets in, sits down and says ‘Just trying to get a ride‘. All this made the first part of the plan so much easier than expected. Turns out the kid was running away from home an decides that Duncan seems nice enough to spend a few days with and will go ahead and play along with the whole kidnapping thing for a while, it might even be fun. Duncan wonders if the rest of his plan will work this well also or if he is going to get caught and go to jail.

A story of friendship and finding a way to move on, get over and get through life. Kind of cute even though it is predictable for so much of the main plot. I enjoyed the way Gabriel was written, a young boy at a difficult age, a boy very independent and with signs of his intelligence already creeping through but still having kid problems and in the end, he misses his mom and dad (how great is that). This was a different style of writing than I am used to , not just because the narration was written as if Duncan was thinking everything (first person), but it was set in Boston (nothing wrong with that) and some of the grammatical slang or dialect maybe, is what gave me difficulty. It was the ’by the by’ and the ’so I says to him’ (with the S on say, and not using said) even in the narrative. It caused a distraction for me (grammatically speaking) and I wasn’t able to get past it enough to enjoy the story more. I do typically like the happy endings and this one had mixed messages there. No real closure, for the most part it left the characters almost in a sad state and the expected answer was avoided. ( )

For some time now, Duncan Wagner has been planning to kidnap the son of State Rep. Win Booker, the man he despises most in the world. The day he acts on the plan happens to be the same day that the boy, 11-year-old Gabriel, decides to run away from home, and Duncan picks him up hitchhiking. Duncan has no intention of harming the boy - he just wants to keep him long enough to make his parents nervous enough to pay $100,000 to get him back by Christmas, and he really needs the money. He's an odd-job kind of guy, and his current occupation as a street-corner "charity Santa Claus" (with himself as sole beneficiary) won't keep him going past the next couple of weeks.

Gabriel, for his part, doesn't seem to mind being kidnapped or the prospect of spending a few days in Duncan's Boston apartment, as long as he believes that Duncan won't hurt him and that he'll be home for Christmas, although he's not entirely confident his father will pay the ransom...

READ MORE HERE: http://www.3rsblog.com/2008/12/blog-t...

Review posted on my blog 12/17/08 ( )

Things could not have worked out better for Duncan Wagner when 11-year-old Gabriel Booker jumps in his car a week before Christmas. He was hitchhiking in an effort to run away from home. You see, Duncan had been trying to kidnap the state representative’s son, and the boy’s sudden appearance in his car made it all the more easy.

The two make an odd pair, this kidnapper and boy. While Duncan tries to play the role of the tough kidnapper, he fails miserably at it. He has too big of a heart and isn't all that bright. And his prey, Gabriel, isn’t exactly playing his part either. He sees the kidnapping as an escape from his parents; it’s an adventure of sorts. The two form a fast friendship during the week that Duncan waits for Win Booker to pay his son’s ransom.

The story is narrated by Duncan in his own vernacular, which makes for an effective mode of storytelling and keeps the book moving right along. Stephen V. Masse’s novel is both funny and charming even if predictable. It is easy to see why Duncan would fall for Gabriel, a sweet and polite boy who is looking for attention and someone to listen to him. Despite his lifestyle of crime, Duncan has a good heart and, even in the worst of situations tries to do the right thing. It makes it impossible not to like him. A Jolly Good Fellow is a lighthearted and fun holiday story. ( )