Method 15/33

From School Library Journal She is taken in a flash, thrown into the back of a van, tied up, and blindfolded. She is 16, pregnant, and in trouble. The room she is taken to is three floors up—a farmhouse, perhaps? The man who kidnapped her comes in at precisely the same time three times a day to give her food. A doctor comes to check on the health of her baby, and once, a couple comes to be assured that their new baby—her baby—will be blue-eyed and healthy. She waits. She collects "assets," such as the handle from the bathroom bucket, a towel, or a blanket. She practices her escape and plans her revenge. Kirk's brilliantly executed novel alternates between the kidnapped girl and Special Agent Roger Liu—the detective assigned to find her. He and his partner slowly and methodically collect clues as they make their way to the remote hideaway. Meanwhile, the kidnapped girl is stuck in the room awaiting her certain death at the hands of the brutal man and his partners. But her brilliance is exceeded only by her ability to plan, calculate, observe, and wait. The abductors never have a chance as she orchestrates a conclusion that will leave readers satisfied and possibly unsettled. Readers wait with her as she ponders the right moment to make a move even as they suspect that it might not work. VERDICT Give this to teens who read Stephen King and other psychological thrillers, especially those with a penchant for dark and violent suspense.—Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA “Completely original and totally kick ass! Shannon Kirk pulls no punches in this adrenaline rush of a thriller where the victim is the one to watch, while the kidnappers learn to fear. Loved it!” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times best-selling author “ Method 15/33 is crowded with fascinating characters but the standout is the kidnapped pregnant teenager. Her captors want her baby. Little do they know they've brought an insanely brilliant, angry, vengeful, borderline sociopath under their roof.” —F. Paul Wilson, New York Times best-selling author * “In Kirk’s harrowing first novel, a kidnap victim—16 years old and pregnant—meticulously plots her escape . . . This exciting tale builds to a surprising climax.” — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) * “Nietzsche warned us to beware of people with a strong desire to punish. That thought lingers after putting down this dark, disturbing, damnably readable novel . . . a worthy challenge, a joy to discuss . . .” — Booklist (Starred Review) * “Give this to teens who read Stephen King and other psychological thrillers, especially those with a penchant for dark and violent suspense.” — School Library Journal (Starred Review) “Shannon Kirk’s riveting debut novel, Method 15/33 , features kidnapped pregnant teen Lisa Yyland. Readers will see parallels between Lisa and Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , both victims who refuse to be victimized . . . Welcome a thrilling new voice in crime fiction.” — The Boston Globe “Wow. Ridiculously good. Crazy good. Brilliantly heart-stoppingly nail-bitingly original, this is a true thriller tour de force. Shannon Kirk is an instant star.” —Hank Philippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author “What happens when infant traffickers kidnap the wrong pregnant teen? You get Method 15/33 , a cross between The Lovely Bones and Silence of the Lambs . Shannon’s debut thriller is a dark, literate page-turner, utterly compelling.” —Leonard Rosen, award-winning author “Kidnapped, close to death, and about to give birth, this thriller’s brilliant and slightly sociopathic protagonist is determined not only to save herself and her baby, but also to exact a horrible revenge on her captors. A gripping, unsettling work with a young woman who is unrelenting in her single-minded pursuit of her mission.” —Best Adult Books 4 Teens, School Library Journal “ Method 15/33 takes us to some very dark places, and at times, we can’t help but wonder whose soul is the darker—the captor’s or the captive’s . . .” — Mystery Scene “Shannon Kirk’s brilliant Method 15/33 . . . delivers, big-time . . . Kirk’s choice of protagonist for this crime thriller is utter gold . . . Method 15/33 is a solid winner.” — Foreword Reviews Shannon Kirk is a practicing attorney and a law professor. She attended West Virginia Wesleyan and St. John's Universities, is a graduate of Suffolk Law School, and was a trial lawyer in Chicago prior to moving to Massachusetts. She has been honored three times by the Faulkner Society in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, a physicist, and their son. Method 15/33 was Kirk's debut novel. Foreign rights have now been sold in more than 20 countries. Read more