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One of the bonuses of a good legal thriller is that you're bound to learn something
about the complexities of our legal system, even as you marvel at how many ways it can be
twisted and stretched by some crafty litigator on the wrong side of the conference table.
In A KING'S RANSOM, Nick Rey learns the hard way that it takes more than a law degree and
a moral conviction to find justice in life. You need to be skilled in anticipating your
opponent and fearless in rolling the dice. And most of all, you need to know who the real
opponent is.
In one of the most topical novels of our time, James Grippando has created a dramatic
fictional parallel to the tragic headlines that have become all to common --- a kidnapping
for ransom in a Latin American country. Political violence and drug trafficking are the
evil catalysts for what has become a thriving "industry," with many of the
revolutionary groups operating in South America. As Grippando states in his
acknowledgments: "In the time it would take to read this novel in one sitting, four
more people will be kidnapped for ransom in Colombia." If you doubt his calculations,
go to any online news source. The stories are plentiful, the statistics are mind-boggling.
Matthew Rey, Nick's father, becomes the target of such a kidnapping when he travels to
Colombia to buy more fishing boats for his seafood company. An American on Colombian soil
is a favorite target, and he falls into the hands of the most vile leader of the rebel
fringes. Within hours, Nick learns of his father's disappearance, and the ordeal for both
victim and family begins. The stonewalling by the state department and the mysterious
reluctance of the FBI only add to Nick's initial frustration in attempting to find someone
who can negotiate his father's release.
As if the complexities of international terrorism, cold-hearted diplomacy, and the
questionable FBI involvement aren't enough to raise your blood pressure, Grippando
compounds the tale with another villain in the form of a major insurance company. Nick's
father had purchased a "kidnap and ransom" policy, which provides for an
experienced negotiator, in the event that his family was ever faced with this situation.
Shortly after Rey's mother discovers the policy in a bank box, our negotiator shows up at
the front door. She is the total professional --- Colombian born and a former member of
FARC (the largest of the guerrilla revolutionary groups in Colombia). Her expertise will
be invaluable.
However, the policy stipulates that no one can be told that the policy exists beforehand,
or the contract is void. When Matthew's kidnappers demand a three million dollar ransom,
the exact dollar amount of the policy, the insurance company withdraws their support and
refuses to pay. And to complicate matters, when Nick attempts to force the issue through a
lawsuit, he discovers that the one person he counted on the most is now seated on the
other side of the table. Accusations about his father's business activities and the
motivations for his kidnapping lead Nick in a number of directions, trying to uncover
secrets from the past and present to learn who his father really is before the Colombians
make good on their threats.
With skillful ease, Grippando alternates the story from Nick's narrative to the jungles of
Colombia, where we witness the cruelties of the kidnappers and the suffering of their
victims. Sadistic indifference to human life is the rule, and the portrait of the
guerrillas emerges in shocking detail. Many are mere teenagers seduced by the promise of
fast money, the power of an AK-47, and the inevitable supply of drugs they've become
accustomed to in their poverty-stricken villages. The picture that Grippando paints
through the eyes of both Nick and Matthew is dark and tragic from any angle and is rooted
in over four decades of bloody revolutions that have turned Colombia into a predatory
culture.
Who betrayed Matthew Rey --- and why --- is buried deep within the secret histories of
family, friends, and business associates, adding a multidimensional suspense to an already
mesmerizing plot. Grippando has created a forceful novel that is both fascinating and
disturbing and guaranteed to send you searching the headlines for updates on the grim,
true life stories that inspired this fictional blockbuster of suspense.
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns (BkPageWC@aol.com)
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