On the other side of the river, close to the bridge, an ambulance was just arriving on the scene. Policemen were in boats; several were in full scuba gear. The situation looked tense, almost frantic, as sirens wailed, policemen darted about, and the helicopters hovered low, watching everything.
Something had been found.
The Abduction by John Grisham is the second adventure in the Theodore Boone series. It’s another action-packed story full of suspense and tension. While it makes some references to the previous book, it can be read as a standalone novel.
If you’re wondering, yes, this is that John Grisham. This book is part of a series meant for young readers and is different than his main books.
Table of Contents
Plot
Theodore Boone’s best friend has been abducted.
In the small town of Strattenburg, serious crime is a rarity. So when April Finnemore is kidnapped from her home in the dead of night, the town is ablaze with fear and gossip. No one, the police included, has a lead.
But for Theo, April’s disappearance is more than just news. It’s as if a piece of himself was kidnapped. He’s overcome with grief, imagining her stuffed in some creep’s basement, tied up and gagged. He’ll do anything necessary to find her. However, such nuisances as school and protective parents hinder his efforts. How can he find his friend while retaining some shattered resemblance of normal life?
This book’s plot is, overall, solid. I’ve read it two or three times myself. A few surprises along the way spice things up. I don’t remember anything shocking me, though it’s been years since I first read the book.
Characters
Grisham creates a cast of believable characters that are fun to spend time with. From thirteen-year-old Theo, a mostly average middle schooler, to Ike, his disbarred and somewhat shady uncle, everyone feels real. The author obviously vividly remembers his time as a young teen—the way Theo thinks is incredibly relatable.
None of the characters grow or develop throughout the story. It seems to just be a story for the sake of a story.
Theme & Content Warnings
As with the other Theodore Boone books, The Abduction doesn’t put across a powerful message. However, Theo illustrates virtues like courage, loyalty, and leadership.
Honesty is one virtue he does not illustrate. While he feels guilty about doing so, he lies to his parents often in order to sneak off on adventures. In this book, particularly, he and a friend deceive both sets of parents and an older sister so Theo can look for April. Since everything works out in the end, he suffers no consequences.
No profanity in this book, though once or twice characters use God’s name in vain. Some detectives vaguely describe a corpse, implying that it’s grotesquely mutilated. A scene shows several unsavory characters who are drunk.
Theo and his friend look through Facebook profiles of college parties, seeing lots of dancing students holding beer. One picture includes a girl in a very short skirt. In another scene, Theo and the same friend are at a football game and watch the cheerleaders with interest—but the book doesn’t say more than that.
Overall
The Abduction is a good book. Not awesome, in my opinion, but worthy of a read. But this might be because of my usual lack of interest in contemporary stories. The handful of content warnings might skew it toward an older audience, but I’d generally recommend this to any teens.
Thanks for reading!
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