Invisible Chains: Shawn Hornbeck and the Kidnapping Case that Shook the Nation Paperback – April 15, 2008

This gets five stars not because it is "good" per se, but it is informational. I am of similar age and lived in the midwest when this horrific crime was perpetrated, so it always stuck in the back of my mind as a fear, a loss, a what-if it was me. I never followed the case to closely, but when this book came up as available and was curious. It was a hard book to order, but that was nothing compared to reading it. I literally through it across the room into a corner when done. I wanted it far from me. It has been some months since then, and I am still a mix of emotions. I do not wish to believe such actions could happen in the world, but that us me hiding my head in the sand. My heart aches for Shawn, but I have no idea how to "help" him. I am a gay man with parents who were open and accepting and have led a decent life in terms of prejudice and homophobia, but this is not a book about being homosexual. I do not believe Shawn identifies as homosexual, but as a survivor. This book is about power, taking advantage of those vulnerable, and I guess about mental illness, as hard as it is for me to calmly say his abductor is mentally ill. I am not a believer in EVIL as an entity, but this much like genocides, serial killers, etc.....really challenges my belief. I doubt Shawn wants to be seen as a victim or pitied, so I try not to frame him that way. On the other hand he was a child, he lived through to me actions no child or adult should have to have lived through. I could write pages on this and not express a tenth of my feelings. Personally it helped I guess answer some questions that I had had for decades growing up with this most vile of crimes in the back of my head. For Shawn, I wish....I am not sure what I wish, but that he had not had to live through it, but on the other hand I wish him every goodness that is possible in this muddle called life. This story broke my heart and continues to break my heart. I can not decide what to so with the book. It seems too powerful to throw it away,but yet it is a good reminder to be thankful and vigilant to suffering, although I hate having it in my home. Maybe that discomfort is some how good for me? I have thought of donating to a book drive or library, etc..... The story is too important I believe to be hidden. Not a book to be read lightly, yet I must admit an important book for humanity. I truly have no answers as one can tell from my rambling.

As I.was.reading this book it triggered memories of my own traumatic childhood of physical and sexual abuse. That's where I can.relate with both Shawn and Ben. I am glad Shawn and Ben made it home. I do want to slap some of the neighbors who revealed they heard a child moaning in pain , orbit sounded like a dog had just been kicked, but didn't report it to the police. Or slap the officers who didn't report the deplorable living condition Shawn was living in or for not recognizing the boy. The author did well on the part about Shawn and Ben, but spent an incredible amount of time describing Rich lands, and also munchausin syndrome by proxy. If I wanted to major in.psychology I would have done so when in college. The author really didn't tell us more than what we already knew from reading the newspaper. I do have to confess when my family and I drove to VA from CO in 2004, I said they should stop looking because that boy is dead. Thank God they never gave up hope.

Normally, I agree with most Amazon reviewers. This time, however, I must object. INVISIBLE CHAINS is not a 5 star read and, in some ways, I feel my rating of 3 stars is generous. Here is a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly.The Good: The author did consult with several psychologists and forensic psychiatrists who have studied the Shawn Hornbeck abduction. The portion of the book pertaining to the kind of sex offender that Michael Devlin was and remains is by far the most interesting section of the book and reads quickly.The Bad: The author DID NOT interview Shawn Hornbeck, either of his parents, Ben Ownby (the other abducted child found in the shabby apartment), or either of his parents. She also did not speak with any of the lead investigators or the prosecuting attorney. Every quote provided by any of these individuals was taken from previously written accounts in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Associated Press, and other publications. Because there were no interviews with any of the key figures, there really is no information in the book pertaining to the abduction and abuse that could not be gleaned from newspaper accounts.The Ugly: The first 6 chapters of the book (a full 60 pages) detailed the ongoing search for Shawn Hornbeck in the 6-8 weeks following his abduction. These chapters were interminably long, repetitive, and boring. (How many times must one read that there were no clues found?) These chapters could easily have been reduced to one chapter without losing any content.The author has a rather awkward style of writing in which she frequently writes sentence fragments as complete sentences. I understand that sometimes this literary tool is used to add interest or underscore a point. However, this technique was employed throughout the length of the book and was, simply put, very awkwardly used and overused. It was a less than stellar attempt at writing and did nothing to further the impact of the written word.Finally, the author did not maintain a coherent timeline. There were many, many occasions in which the author jumps backwards in time to reiterate or add to information that had already been discussed. Again, it was simply an awkward recounting of events.While I understand that Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby and their families are owed thier privacy and the children are under no obligation to disclose the details of their captivity and sexual abuse, I did find it more than disappointing that the information contained in the book is no more than what could be gained from reading newpaper accounts that were, in an of themselves, vague. For instance, what did Shawn do every day while Michael Devlin worked at a dead-end job as a pizza parlor manager? Even basic questions such as this are not explored and not answered.In closing, if you are an avid True Crime fan hoping for previously unknown information and relevant interviews with the victims and their families, you will not find it here. And, while the public is certainly not owed an explanation about the tragic events that unfolded inside a grimy apartment where 2 young boys were held captive and subjected to repeated sexual abuse, I do not think a book totaling 318 pages was necessary, helpful, or particularly interesting.

I've ready many true crime novels and this is one of the better ones. It is well researched and while can't speak to the personal experiences of Shawn, it covers a lot of ground surrounding the ordeal. I would have like more first hand accounts from the families involved rather than quoting other news articles. Still overall a good read and a riveting story.

Sauerwein's writing isn't great, but she does a good job of explaining what happened from thebperspective of Sean, his parents, the media, and the townspeople and how Stockholm Syndrome works.