Don't bother with this one. As a huge GLH fan, I couldn't even make it through the first half of this book. Hard to believe it was written by the same author who produced so many of my favorites. Not her usual style at all.

Although one of the author's earlier books, Duskin's heroine is atypical of the author because she is a business woman. There is no "love at first sight." A fun read for anyone who enjoys Grace Livingston Hill books.

Set during the 1930s, "The Ransom" begins shortly after Christobel Kershaw's stepmother dies and the family (Christobel's father and 17-year-old younger brother Randall) comes together for the funeral. While "The Ransom" is supposed to be about Randall's kidnapping, that doesn't occur until about halfway into the book. The beginning half mainly has to do with the Kershaw's thieving servants and a gold digger named Mrs. J. Rivington Romayne who is all but climbing over Christobel's dead stepmother's body to become the next Mrs. Kershaw. I actually liked this beginning half, even though some readers may find it pointless to the overall plot.

It wasn't until around the midpoint that I began having difficulty finishing the book. For starters, the dialogue was slowing me down because of some of the character's accents, like this Scottish one: "This world's gangin' all aglae!" Then there were the occasions where the author wanted to preach at the reader instead of being a storyteller, which is her obvious intention by reading her bio--of being a "messenger" over a writer. So I'd just skim over these parts and move on to the bigger story.

While Livingston-Hill is a well-known Christian romance writer, there is no romance in this book. Yet I would hardly call it a suspense novel either. But readers who like wholesome, well-written stories that are somewhat akin to L. M. Montgomery, then I'd recommend this book.