Author: T.R. Ragan
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: May 29, 2011, self-published
When Lizzy Gardner was only seventeen, what should have been the perfect night became the perfect nightmare. Kidnapped just blocks from home after a romantic evening with her boyfriend, Jared, she woke up to find herself at the mercy of a depraved serial killer. Imprisoned and tormented for months by the maniac she came to know as Spiderman, Lizzy narrowly escaped, the only one of his victims to survive. But Spiderman escaped too, outwitting police and cursing Lizzy to spend her life looking over her shoulder…
Fourteen years later, Lizzy is a private investigator who teaches self-defense to teenage girls in her free time. She does what she can to help others protect themselves and to forget the horror of her ordeal, yet fears she will always be known as “the one who got away.” Then she receives a phone call from Jared, now a special agent for the FBI, with grim news. The killer has resurfaced, this time with a very specific target—Lizzy. And he’s made it clear that she will not escape him again. So begins a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, a terrifying, heart-pounding hunt that only one will survive.
This book really exceeded my expectations, partly because of the average-looking cover art. You know the old adage about not judging books? Well, that really applies to Abducted. It's among the first novels I've read as an ebook, and it was so good I know I'll be re-reading it again and again in the future.
Abducted is the first novel of the Lizzy Gardner series. It takes place in Sacramento, California. The titular main character is a young private investigator with a painful past. In her teens, Lizzy was kidnapped by a serial killer known as Spiderman. She managed to escape, becoming the psychopath's only survivor. The experience changed Lizzy forever. She became a private investigator to stop people like Spiderman, and teaches self-defense classes to young women. I really felt for Lizzy as I progressed through the novel. No teen girl should have to experience what she did. As paranoid as Lizzy may seem, she's not a damsel in distress, though. Despite the constant protection of her teenage-love-turned-FBI-agent Jared Shayne, Lizzy's perfectly capable of defending herself.
Jared is the type of guy I once aspired to become, back during my teenage years. I’d dreamed of working in law enforcement, but I changed my mind, due to the long hours and mortality rate. Anyway, I like how Jared's protective of Lizzy (he acts almost exactly like I would around her), but he’s a bit too hardened, which is no surprise. Jared seems good-natured, incorruptible, and as courageous as Lizzy. He also regrets having spent so much time away from her. It took Spiderman threatening Lizzy for Jared to run back to her. He’s never forgotten her, though. Lizzy has always been in Jared’s mind. He loves her.
The bad guy—dubbed Spiderman for his fondness for spiders—is a really twisted, psychopathic, evil man worthy of a show like Criminal Minds. He thinks he’s doing the world a service by getting rid of girls he deems “bad.” His identity is not revealed until near the end, and it comes as a surprise (at least to me). Although Spiderman had a really bad experience when he was young, that doesn’t give him the right to terrorize teenage girls. Some of the things he does are the stuff of horror. How can such a dark man hide behind a trustworthy guise?
Abducted is a gripping novel that will keep you turning pages well into the night. I liked the protagonist, Lizzy. She’s a broken girl, haunted by her past, but she still assumes the strength and confidence needed to protect others as a PI. I strongly recommend it, especially if you like page-turners or you are a fan of strong female protagonists.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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