The white, elite segment of the population hide behind tall gates while everyone else lives in poverty—and a cottage industry based on kidnapping and ransom demands has become so prevalent that middle-schoolers write papers about it. Charity is one of the privileged few, and when she is kidnapped, she knows exactly how to behave: Be polite, talk to your captors and hope your parents pay up. Interwoven scenes flash back and reveal just how empty her life has been. But Charity’s kidnapping is not what it appears; her father has created an elaborate illusion to break them free of their confines and create a new life. Filled with unsubtle commentary about race and wealth, this still manages to be genuinely exciting although astute readers will see the twist early on. Charity’s self-possession strains credibility, as does her quick turnaround at the novel’s end, but this is competent near-future fiction. (Science fiction. 12+)
