I really dug this book. If you like stories where no one gets out clean, then this is for you. Everyone has a past, and Paul writes it well. At times he even had me feeling sorry for the kidnapper, something that is not so easy to do considering the pain he puts young Ford through. I consider that the sign of a truly good book.

This is a short but powerful first novel that follows the fortunes of a boy that is kidnapped and effectively transformed into a personality distant from his original one. Cody's narrative is not only sympathetic to the boy and the mother and brother he left behind, but also to the abusive kidnapper and to the various teachers, waitresses, and others that cross their escape path. The stream of consciousness narrative elements that emanate from a death row cell reveal Cody as an outstanding prose stylist.

this book shook me up for so long, then i read "deep end of the ocean" and was so disappointed in that being the oprah pick, and a disturbing and moving book like "stolen child" got overlooked. "deep end" i couldn't wait to get through it, it was awful. "stolen child" was so tense and disturbing, a great read. one i think about years later.

It's been said that the ultimate compliment you can extend to a tv writer/producer is to do an adaption to his material. Well, "Close Encounters" does that to Steven Spielberg, Chris Carter, and the filmmaking team behind ID4. First the timing and premise of the book struck me as peculiar. The story of alien encounters was obviously written in response to the popularity of INDEPENDANCE DAY. The fact that the story takes place in the California desert close to the infamous Area 51 seemed to contrived. The male/female duo of FBI agents who investigate paranormal phenomena is straight from Carter's X-FILES. And at last, the title is lifted from Steven Spielberg's monumental 1977 film. In short, the story was a quick, fun read; but it needed a good dose of originality---beginning with the title!

One of the best alex mack books! I especially liked the part where the ravine flooded!

I am a huge fan of Paul Cody, but I never felt like he really reached into the story to the point where we were really involved. It didn't leave the lasting images in my mind as "The Stolen Child" certainly did, and "Eyes Like Mine" managed. I'm not disappointed, really, I just feel that his most rewarding scenes for the reader came when we were in voice of characters, instead of the sometimes elusive NOW or THEN scenes. I also found it disconcerting when we jump to the electric chair so suddenly when the father is walking with him. It was a long jump in time, maybe three weeks or a week, even, to just an hour or more. I did think it offered an interesting portrait of someone who kills and the motive that no one else is capable of seeing. The main character is certainly a curious and interesting character, but the book overall left me wanting more.