Review: Uneven writing and a hurried-up ending
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2013
Ransom Dreams follows the story of Elaine, who is in love with Alan.  But when he balks at the idea of marriage with kids, she takes a chance and answers a personal ad.  The ad is from Walker, who is desperate to connect with someone and have a baby.  He's so desperate, in fact, that he's sure Elaine is meant for him and will stop at nothing to make her his - even if it means murder.So many things wrong.  And to discuss it completely, I have to sort of spoil it, so....SPOILER ALERT!1.  We only meet the characters after the fact of the ad, the events leading up to it, etc.  Can this be done?  Of course.  But it must be done well, and that isn't the case here.2.  We know that Walker is strange, that he has some mommy issues, etc.  But we aren't ever given a clear picture on who he is and what exactly led to him being how he is.  Was it nature, nurture, or a combination?3.  Alan is a therapist, but apparently not the greatest one.  Granted, therapists are not perfect beings who never screw up.  Many people are great at helping others with their problems, but have their own as well.  Alan is a recovering alcoholic- which doesn't mean that he's a horrible person or a horrible therapist.  But he misses some pretty big clues right off the bat.4.  Elaine isn't very bright.  She didn't really do anything wrong by answering Walker's ad, but she did misjudge his level of crazy and she was stupid to think that he couldn't possibly know where she lived, etc.  After it was clear that he had been inside her home, she didn't take any extra precautions.  If someone enters your home in such a way that only your underwear is missing, that person is what we call CRAZY.  Get a security system.  Get a gun.5. The ending.  I knew we were in trouble when the big moment of kidnapping Elaine was in the middle of the book.  But then there was this filler where Alan works with a private investigator/former detective to try to figure out where Walker was keeping Elaine.  And then there was a big rush at the end, during with Walker's mother makes several statements that make very little sense.Cannot recommend.