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Held Up [Paperback]

Christopher Radmann
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Book Description

19 July 2012
How far do you go to rescue your child?

Paul van Niekirk, a successful white South African is held up at gun-point when driving his new BMW. He's dragged out and his abductor drives off in his car. It's an everyday car jacking. Except his nine-month old daughter is in the back seat. As a pacifist, Paul is reluctant to carry a gun, but he descends into the heart of darkness of his country determined to find his child. He uncovers a criminal gang involved in people trafficking and discovers in himself a capacity for violence. When the trail goes cold, he is on the verge of losing everything but finds redemption in the most unlikely circumstances. Moving from the enclaves of Johannesburg's northern suburbs to the throbbing heart of Soweto's informal settlements, Paul is forced to confront the changing political and social landscape of the new South Africa, questioning his own values as his perfect life crumbles around him.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Review (19 July 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0755389204
  • ISBN-13: 978-0755389209
  • Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.4 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 45,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

About the Author

Christopher Radmann is from South Africa, but has lived in the UK for the last twelve years. He is currently Head of Sixth Form and Head of English at a boarding school in Hampshire, England, where he lives with his wife and two children. Based loosely on personal experience and that of friends and family, HELD UP is his first novel.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very thought provoking 9 July 2012
Format:Paperback
A well written book about a kidnapping of his baby daughter in South Africa. It's a truly gripping and thought-provoking novel. It's about fatherhood, what is it to be a man - our guy is a pacifist, a conscientious objector but is gradually hardened and brutalised as he attempts to track down the abductors and bring his child home. It's also about modern South Africa, the legacy of apartheid and living in a hostile environment where everything of value is behind razor wire, where violence can impinge on comfortable lives in an instant.

I think it's tremendously resonant, written with urgency and fire and describes an extraordinarily emotional journey which takes him into the heart of Soweto and befriends many people of different "cultures".

Coming from South Africa I could relate to this story and really enjoyed reading it. I loved the Afrikaans words thrown in, although people who do not know the words might struggle. But it does bring home the things that are still happening even though appartheid was abolised.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Superb Literary Thriller 24 July 2012
By Emma C
Format:Paperback
Chris Radmann's debut novel was hard to put down. His prose is like a whirlwind transporting you to Johannesburg and is perfectly suited to this type of novel. From the chaotic blur of pacifist Paul's hijacking, to the moment where he understands how far he will go to get back his child, Held Up is an unrelenting journey into the darkness of not only an ordinary man, but also a place that has supposedly overcome its violent past.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping 19 July 2012
Format:Paperback
I received this book as an uncorrected proof copy- I had not heard of the author, so was intrigued to find out more. I started reading, and was hooked! It`s set in South Africa, an area that Christopher Radmann knows well, as he hails from there- his knowledge, & unique insight into the area, its beauty, and also problems, is very apparent.

It`s the story of Paul van Niekerk, who is a contented man, his family means everything to him. Then, one day, whilst waiting at traffic lights, someone taps on his car window with the barrel of a handgun. He`s dragged out and his assailant drives off in his car. It`s an everyday car jacking in South Africa. Except his nine month old daughter is in the back seat. Paul descends into the heart of darkness of South Africa to find his child. he uncovers a criminal gang involved in people trafficing, and discovers in himself a capacity for violence.

Unusually, this book doesn`t focus on the efforts of the police to find his baby daughter, but the effect her loss has on him and his wife, both coping in different ways. I can`t say too much without spoiling the plot, but suffice to say that the descriptions of Soweto, for example, made me feel I was actually there. This is the first time novel from Christopher Radmann, and although very different to my usual read, has made a big impression on me- I loved it, and the story will stay with me for a long time- I can`t wait for book number 2!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
paul and claire have a baby daughter and their car is approched by a hijacker. I recommend this book. Its quite good.
Published 1 month ago by bookmoviefanatic
3.0 out of 5 stars Got half way through
Then lost interest. Will pick it up and start again. I didn't realise that is was more of a story than actual fact.
Published 1 month ago by Sally Jenkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
A well written and riveting story of a modern day South African drama. Couldn't put it down until it was finished.
Published 2 months ago by Kp Roche
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Absorbing
Anyone who has had a child go missing, if only briefly, will recognise the feeling engendered at the start of this remarkable work which of course becomes the unbearable nightmare... Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Richard
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book.
Fast moving story abd insight perhaps into some of S Africas problems. Would not appeal to all but having visited sa I/we liked it
Published 4 months ago by tighe grainger
2.0 out of 5 stars Not an easy read
Held Up is the debut novel by Christopher Radmann and tells the story of his life after his car is hijacked with his daughter in it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by kissofdawn
4.0 out of 5 stars Full of Despair, But Worth The Effort.
"Paul van Niekirk, a successful white South African is held up at gun-point when driving his new BMW. He's dragged out and his abductor drives off in his car. Read more
Published 6 months ago by T. Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing Drama
For a crime novel it augers well for `Held Up' with author Christopher Radmann being born in turbulent South Africa and being a teacher of English. Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. Elliott
4.0 out of 5 stars Guilt
I received an unsolicited review copy of this book and wondered whether I really wanted to read it. The cover photograph and blurb indicated the sort of novel which would not... Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. Currie
4.0 out of 5 stars At times uncomfortable but always interesting - an original thriller.
Help Up is a refreshingly different thriller told from the point of view of Paul, who has been carjacked at gunpoint, and seen his baby daughter driven away by the culprits. Read more
Published 7 months ago by It's Only Me
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