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Six-year-old twins Kevin and Sean come to visit their father, Alex Callahan. He has partial custody and when he entertains them, he wants it to be special. Alex works at a television station as a news reporter; his compulsive and workaholic methods contributed to his marriage breakup. The boys want to go to a local Renaissance Fair and the three of them depart. Many parents have had their children wander off for a few minutes but this is different. When the twins cannot be found by their father, the reader knows they are indeed missing. Feelings of despair, fear, guilt and chaos spread through Alex when he can't find his sons. The meeting of the divorced parents is well-written; they need to confront the reality and the author does a good job of displaying this anguish and emotion of terror. Alex and his ex-wife are told to make allies of the media. It is suggested that they retain a public relations adviser so they will have more successful results. What is the possible reason for this abduction -- money, retaliation, sex, pornography, religious? Alex undergoes a polygraph test; nine out of ten times a parent is involved in abduction of their children. At one point, the authorities look strongly at Alex. This questioning is very stressful. It made me realize early on that having your children taken while in your care must be one of the worst things that can happen to a parent. Finally, Alex's name is cleared and then bizarre activities commence. Frustration and hopelessness exude throughout this search. An area that shines in this book is the author's homework containing statistics on kidnapping. These twins do not fit the norm. Police Detective Shoffler begins the investigation, but it is isn't too long before he is replaced by another detective. We really never get to know this second detective. Shoffler does reappear occasionally as Alex seeks him out throughout his search. The detective comes across as being an honest man with a refreshing cynical type of candor. He is intelligent, humorous and my favorite character in the book. Since time is passing and there is no positive results (only bogus clues), Alex decides to quit his job and passionately search for his children. It is important to keep Kevin and Sean's names and pictures out in front of the public. What happens next is the bulk of the story. As a reporter, he draws on all his skills. He investigates other kidnapping cases where twins are involved, following every clue. In this search, Alex hires Pinky, an albino private investigator. Pinky is one of the first people to give some concrete hope. Next, we enter a world of magic, the occult and voodoo. The more that is learned, the more realization there is of the urgency to find these children. This story is not for everyone At times, it appears over the top and sometimes tedious. An initiation Alex undergoes will raise goosebumps and reader's hearts will beat faster. At times, the story may be bizarre and uncomfortable. Having said that, this story does begin with the viable subject of kidnapping and displays emotions of the parents and grandparents excellently.
Reviewed by Rita Ratacheck, July 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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