Ransom X, by first-time novelist I.B. Holder is making a splash on the free ebook scene by making the top 100 list on smashwords beating out books that were published almost a year ago in total downloads. A combination of factors have led to the popularity of the work, but it is undoubtedly the emergence of a powerful new detective on the landscape of mystery suspense that has contributed to the growing audience.

Barnes and Noble has now distributed nearly fifty thousand digital copies of Ransom X.

Ransom X, by first-time novelist I.B. Holder is making a splash on the free ebook scene by making the top 100 list on smashwords beating out books that were published almost a year ago in total downloads. A combination of factors have led to the popularity of the work, but it is undoubtedly the emergence of a powerful new detective on the landscape of mystery suspense that has contributed to the growing audience.

The author's sharp attention to character details makes this book a thoroughly satisfying read, coupled with a shocking twist to what would ordinarily be a ransom demand. In fact, there is no demand from the criminal who kidnaps young women for a fate truly horrendous. Martin Legace, an FBI interrogator whose own wife's murder has led him and his teen daughter to a deeply troubled and paranoid existence, is forced to take on a missing person case led by over-achiever Agent Wagner, not by her demands but his own demons. As the plot unfolds, we continue to climb into the characters minds and to understand their every move and thought as they follow a trail that leads to a deadly Internet game. The author succeeds in bringing us down the path to the unspeakable crime, all the while finding ourselves walking with them, be it the two FBI agents or the criminal. And sometimes it takes us to places we'd rather not be, yet we have to go. I sense Legace's character is good for many more stories.

Holder's writing slips gracefully from poetry to shock to dark humor. His humor is sometimes so subtle that it encourages the reader to go more slowly and process every detail so as not to miss a clever quip, which is in direct conflict with the desire to read faster to find out what's going to happen next. Unlike the typical novel of this genre, which tends to be somewhat "fluffy" and shallow, Ransom X feels deep and intricate. The characters and story, however, capture the reader's attention and interest from the very beginning. Images spring from Holder's words, creating a clear picture in the mind's eye of the people and places he describes. His dialog is sharp and meaningful, and his characters are complex, quirky, and refreshingly appealing. Ransom X is a truly enjoyable read, and without a doubt, a sign of great things to come from an extremely talented writer.