"Ransom by Lois Duncan, is about five teens, Dexter, Jesse, Bruce, Glenn, and Marianne that are kidnapped from their bus coming home from school. The story takes place in Albuquerque. All five students have the same thing in common, they are all from the same part, Valley Gardens (where the more wealthy people live) and that's why they were the ones who are kidnapped.
I liked this book, it had a good story to it and was interesting, although there were a few things I also disliked about the book. It wasn't any part of the story that I didn't like; it was the technique that the author used. She would jump from scene to scene and character without giving any warning it made it confusing, and took away from the story. The author does have the ability to build suspense to the story to make the reader wanting more.
Lois Duncan, has written many best-selling thrillers such as, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Killing Mr. Griffin, and Don't Look Behind You. I would rate this book a 7. Not that it wasn't good, but the technique took a lot away from the story and irritates the reader.
"
Amanda Hoff, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Ransom
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story
- very upbeat
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is....
- criminal's rise in a crime organization
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- killer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- a teen
Profession/status:
- student
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- communists
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Mid-Atlantic states
Mountains/Cliffs
Yes
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
