The Kidnapping — Aiden Vaughan

The Kidnapping, the first book in The Hunter & Holmes Mystery series, is about Jason Hunter, 14, and his best friend Daniel Holmes, 15, two teenagers living in the Silicon Valley who become amateur detectives to solve crimes that affect them, their friends, and their community. As the series begins, Jason and Daniel are enjoying the carefree days of summer and their extended break from school. Their lives are radically changed when Jason, while walking through City Park in broad daylight suddenly goes missing and no one can figure out what has happened to him. There is no sign of a struggle and Jason's cell phone went strangely silent that morning. Because Jason is a well-adjusted and popular kid in the community with no family problems or personal issues, it seems clear that he was kidnapped for ransom or by predators. But why and how did this happen? Jason's parents are not wealthy or high profile in the community, and so would be unlikely targets for a kidnapping for ransom. No one had been stalking Jason or for that matter any other kids, and Jason didn't even know he was going to City Park until that morning. The police missing person's unit is unable to find any significant clues in this case. No one in the park or surrounding neighborhoods saw anything suspicious. This quickly puts a chill in the community, especially when there is no immediate word from Jason's kidnappers. As the days pass, Jason's parents and friends become increasingly more depressed. When there finally is word from the kidnappers, things are not what they seem in this case at all!

After he is released from captivity, Jason has a lot to deal with: the police investigation, his medical condition and need for counseling, the news media, his loss of self-confidence as he deals with the emotional and mental turmoil of being kidnapped and his often brutal treatment by the kidnappers, and his puzzlement as he tries to understand why he and his parents were chosen for this crime. Daniel is angered and upset by the treatment Jason received, because it means that no one is safe until the kidnappers are caught. He instinctively knows that Jason will never recover from his ordeal until he knows the who and the why of his kidnapping. Eventually he is able to persuade Jason to check his fears of reliving the horror that he went through and the detective team of Hunter and Holmes was born. But can two amateur detectives succeed in discovering what the police have been unable to find out? The Kidnapping is a full-formed mystery with interesting characters, plot twists, and surprises appropriate for teenagers and adults who like the “hobby detective” genre. All books in the Hunter & Holmes Mystery series come with 40+ color illustrations and a unique graphic design.