Paying the Piper (Fleetwood and Sheils Book 1)

Though it will be difficult, I am going to try to avoid giving away too much of the story. To try to compress the entire thriller into a comprehensive synopsis would be an injustice to the author as well as potential readers. This is a book which needs to be savored, not devoured. I had to pry myself away from it on more than one occasion. If left to my own devices, I would have stayed with it continuously once I started reading, taking time out only for meals and "potty breaks", but alas - I had other obligations! Pffft! There were so many surprises, I couldn't wait to see what each next page would bring! I loved how the author wrote from different points of view, giving us a glimpse at the thoughts and actions of victims, pursuers, and pursued! One might think that this going from character to character, as well as backward and forward in time, might be confusing. But it was quite easy to follow the transitions, and I was completely hooked from the very beginning. I had many questions which arose; and tending to be very impatient, I sometimes raced ahead and had to go back and pick up some details I had missed in my haste. I found it very hard to put the book down, and even harder to get my brain to quiet down long enough to sleep. I found myself "Twistin' the Night Away" and enjoyed every minute! I hadn't seen so many twists since I went to dances in the 60's!I got to see the flaws and foibles of each main character, and this made them all the more real to me. As an actress, I tend to get lost in storylines and characters, and could have easily fallen into a rut if only given one point of view. As the book was presented, I was able to sympathize in turn with the two main characters. Scott Fleetwood was the news reporter who chronicled and subsequently became involved in the original "Piper" abductions and is the father of the newest victim. Tom Shiels was the FBI agent in charge of the original Piper case, so is appropriately in charge of this one; and is determined not to fail this time. I shared their feelings of frustration and hope, plus the burning desire for the return of Scott's son. I wanted this kidnapper of innocent children to be not only brought to justice, but to be paid back in a suitable way - for not only his present crime, but the earlier ones, especially the lone murder which had caused such pain to Scott in the past. The kidnapper is a lesser concrete presence at times; but he is always "present" as the motivation for the actions of Scott and Shiels. The common thread I perceived to be connecting the protagonists was that of perceived failure and blame, going back to the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the last (until now) apparent Piper victim. Scott (along with Shiels and nearly everyone else) blames his interaction and preoccupation with the man who contacted him eight years earlier claiming to be the Piper, for that victim's murder. Shiels is tortured by his failure to catch the real Piper in the earlier cases, and the kidnapper blames the former victim's murder on Scott for being fooled by the imposter, thereby forcing him to commit an unintended murder.This was my first Simon Wood book, but I certainly do not intend for it to be my last!

Plot/Storyline: 4 StarsThis is a kidnapping plot with more than one smart twist to it. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another monkey wrench was thrown into the story to get me off target.There were a couple of obvious red herrings that irritated me when I thought back on them. By that, I mean thoughts of a character that were meant to throw the reader off the trail. When it bothers me is when the author keeps certain thoughts very generic, and you look back at them later thinking that the author made a mistake, but then realize that the author just worded the information in such a way as to make the reader think the wrong thing on purpose.A rather unrealistic portion of the storyline was that the FBI let the father work so closely in the investigation at the very end. I am pretty certain that's not standard FBI protocol in kidnappings. However, I can see where it might have been necessary for the sequence of the story, so the author can claim poetic license here.I also noticed that Mr. Wood did not delve too deeply into the past kidnappings. I think this was because the most difficult part of getting away with the crime of kidnapping for ransom is the actual collection of the ransom. The Piper not only gets away, but he manages to get away multiple times.Character Development: 4 StarsAs the father of the kidnapped boy, Scott is a very well-developed character. His remorse and determination to save his son bleed from the page into the heart of the reader.I found the mother to be an unbelievable side character. I just couldn't swallow her not even once blaming her husband, even though everyone, including her, knew that the kidnapping was a personal strike against him. I kept expecting her to strike out at Scott in her grief, just once, to show she was human, but it was not to be. She was just a cardboard cut-out of a human.The FBI agent in charge of the case was protrayed as a fairly sympathetic person, even though he came on a bit strong at times.Writing Style: 5 StarsThe writing style was superb with sentences that picked the reader up to carry them through the story. The flow was excellent. The descriptions were concise, not flowery, as befits an action/mystery novel. The dialogue was real with great voice.Editing/Formatting: 5 StarsBoth were of professional quality.Rating: PG-15 for Adult Situations and Violence

Having never read a novel by Simon Wood I felt I should as I liked the reviews and it was definitely my kind of read. In a nut shell it blew me away! I have read many a novel now and it has been a while since I have read a book that is written that has you gripped from page one! Normally they reel you in but this was different - more like wham and you are suckered in straight away! A cleverly crafted and well written novel. At one point I thought I had it figured out - I was half right! Be that as it may the story centres around a cold case of abduction that turns into something a lot more. A journalist by the name of Scott becomes the pawn in the abduction of his twin sons; with the help of the FBI and a private investigator the story takes of many twists and turns, that leads to an explosive ending. I would highly recommend this novel, but beware it is impossible to put down!

Another great read from the pen of Simon Wood, the action begins on page one when Scott Fleetwood, a crime reporter, learns one of his twin sons has been kidnapped by The Piper. Seven years previously Scott had received a phone call from The Piper, a serial kidnapper who took children from the very wealthy, returning them after the ransom was paid, requesting an exclusive interview, but instead the caller was a fantasist and the real Piper was so enraged he killed his latest victim. When Scott hears his son has been taken he knows that The Piper is back and out to get revenge.The reader is quickly drawn into the drama, feeling Scott's panic, fear and the helplessness of being unable to protect his child, the realisation that the ransom cannot be raised even after selling every possession, then the relief when an unexpected benefactor offers his help. There is no disappointment, the Piper remains a mystery until the end. Nothing worse than guessing who the villan is two or three chapters in and just sticking with it to see if you are right.The only problem with Simon Wood's books is, they come to an end. Cannot wait for the next one, will pre-order it as soon as details are released, that is how good I think this author is.

When I first realised it was about kidnapping fairly early on, I thought how can the story carry on from this point, but it was cleverly written & wasn't padded out. There were hints if you read between the lines, at a twist to come but there were times when I couldn't stop reading, An entertaining story, I'd certainly read other books by this author.

In a nutshell, this is a thriller that involves a serial kidnapper that also does an occasional side-line in killing, a hero (less than perfect of course) that has his son kidnapped and a policeman whose goal in life is to catch The Piper (the aforementioned kidnapper). As things progress, the plot becomes more tangled and the lines between right and wrong become blurred. As befits any self-respecting thriller, there are twists and turns to keep your interest peaked and you will, of course find in the final reckoning that all is not what you thought.A kidnapping thriller isn't cutting edge as far as storytelling goes and you could no doubt find at least a handful more without too much effort. But whether you do or not, I'd tell you, potential reader to stop at this one and read it. It's well written, it does indeed keep you interested and is, to be succinct, enjoyable.

I really hope that this is not a "spoiler" but suffice to say that I really enjoyed this novel, it was well written and moved at sufficient pace to keep the interest but with enough twists to keep you wondering all the way through.Unlike a lot of novels sold for the Kindle, Simon had both written it in good English AND had people proof-read it before publishing which made reading it much better than some I have read recently where after all the typos, weird English and using phrases like "He waved his rights" ???????Instead this novel moved at a cracking pace until the last page and I ended with doing a review and looking for the other stuff by Simon that I had missed so far.Keep up the great work!