Kidnap for Ransom: Resolving the Unthinkable

The enormous sums paid for the release of hostages coupled with law enforcement’s inability to stem the tide has made kidnapping for ransom a worldwide plague. The increasing rate of reported incidents from every corner of the globe suggests this plague is growing.

Kidnap for Ransom: Resolving the Unthinkable removes the veil of mystery and dispels some of the myths surrounding kidnapping. The book provides security professionals, families, and law enforcement personnel with the modern tools needed to understand and effectively respond to the crime of kidnapping.

This volume traces the historical development of kidnapping for ransom and studies the behaviors of perpetrators, victims, and families. The author makes extensive use of case histories, and includes comments and anecdotes from those who have actually suffered at the hands of kidnappers. Based on his vast experience managing these incidents, the author provides an overview of the series of activities that represent the best opportunity for a successful resolution of a kidnap for ransom scenario. This tried and tested methodology for confronting kidnapping situations enables victims, families, and organizations to have a fighting chance.

In addition, the book examines how kidnappers operate and describes the methods they use to select, target and abduct their victims. The work also details preventive measures that an individual can take to avoid becoming a victim, and the strategies that one must apply to survive a kidnapping.

This is the first book to examine the kidnap for ransom phenomenon and to reveal the process from the moment of the kidnapping until the victim’s safe return. The author’s experience as the principal consultant and manager in the successful resolution of numerous kidnapping and extortion incidents makes this book an invaluable tool for those charged with the responsibility of kidnap prevention, as well as for those law enforcement agents called on to mitigate the potential consequences of an abduction in progress.

Richard P. Wright is a principical consultant and manager in the successful resolution of numerous kidnapping and extortion incidents.