John Ives (1939–2018)

Film director Carole Marchand’s son has just been kidnapped for the third time. The first two times weren’t as troubling, since Carole had abducted Robert herself—incidents in her hideous divorce. This time, the kidnappers are unknown killers, and Carole wants to know what her ex-husband Warren is going to do about it. Robert was in Mexico with the American ambassador when gunmen swarmed their convoy, taking the ambassador and snatching Robert up with him. As Robert disappears into show more Central America, Warren and his colleagues at the State Department turn up no leads. Because Robert wasn’t their actual target, his life has little value. When Carole receives word that Robert has been killed, she resolves to take revenge. If the government won’t help her, she will punish her child’s killers herself show less

I first saw this in my boat's (submarine) library in 1980 and picked it out for a read. I found it very entertaining and suspenseful. 36 years later I purchased a copy so I could re-read it. Any book that can stay with me for decades must be worth something. Oh, it's not perfect, but it does keep the pages turning.

Great

Arizona, 1977.
Calvin Duggai på 27 år har været spærret inde på et statshospital i fem år for at have slået 5 mennesker ihjel ved at efterlade dem i ørkenen. Han blev erklæret sindssyg af fire psykiatere, Sam Mackenzie, Jay Painter, Shirley Painter og Earle Dana.
Han ville hellere have haft en tidsbestemt fængselsdom, så en dag flygter han, kidnapper alle fire, kører dem langt ud i ørkenen og midt om natten efterlader han dem nøgne og uden mad og vand, mens han selv lægger sig show more på lur et sted i nærheden med en skarpskydningsriffel. Mackenzie er halvt indianer og ca halvtreds, mens de andre er ca fyrre. Han tager føringen og får dem til at grave huller de kan ligge i mens solen bager. De har dog hverken mad eller vand, så de kan udskyde døden men ikke undslippe den.
Sam, hvis kone begik selvmord fordi hun troede at han havde en affære med Shirley, redder dem ved at mobilisere al sin viden fra barndommen om hvordan man overlever i en ørken og ender faktisk med at overmande Duggai.
Ingen dør og alt bliver næsten som før.

Udmærket psykologisk thriller
John Ives er et pseudonym for Brian Wynne Garfield, (1939 - 2018). show less