What if you are TAKEN?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You are SO wise to visit here today!  I mean, what’s Jungle Red for if not to tell you absolutely every thing you’d ever need to know? 

And today, the amazing KJ Howe—you know Kimberley Howe, right, the absolutely unstoppable force behind Thrillerfest, and the knower of EVERY author in the world, organizer extraordinaire and totally fabulous person (not to mention gorgeous so I’ll leave that out)—gives us the fascinating inside scoop on a skill you may never have to use.

But if you do—we’ve got your backs. And you will thank us. We hope you don’t have to, of course. But better to be prepared. Plus, this is pretty amazing.  

FIVE WAYS TO STAY SAFE DURING A KIDNAPPING

By K.J. Howe

Do you love travel and adventure?  Both pastimes are at the top of my list.  But it’s key to realize that along with the joy of new experiences, there are some risks you need to mitigate when globetrotting. After all, you don’t want to be starring alongside Halle Berry in Kidnap or spending time in captivity with Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer in Snatched.

I’ve spent the past four years immersed in the world of kidnap and ransom, researching the subject matter for my Freedom Broker series. It gives one pause thinking how you might react if you were kidnapped.  After researching and working with some of the best hostage negotiators in the world, I—along with several my experts—am delighted to offer advice on how to stay safe during a kidnapping.   

FIVE TOP TIPS

If you ever have the misfortune of being abducted, it’s critical to be prepared for every eventuality. In fact, following the lessons in these five points could be key to your survival. 

1.When you’re first kidnapped, remain calm and offer no resistance. The abduction is one of the most dangerous moments during a kidnapping, so your captors will be on edge. They will immediately want to establish their dominance, so be prepared for harsh or forceful treatment. To maintain control, your captors might also drug, blindfold, or gag you. Don’t panic, they want to keep you alive and healthy so they can secure your ransom. 

Gary Noesner, former FBI Hostage Negotiator offers this sage advice: “Never try to negotiate for yourself while being held captive. Know that despite what the kidnappers may say, your family and/or employer is working diligently on your behalf to effect your safe and timely release.” If you are able, try to remember the details of your journey so you have a sense of where you are being held.

KJ Howe--not attempting to escape, we hope 

2. While in captivity, try to gain the respect of your captors—without directly challenging them—by asking for small luxuries like extra food or toilet paper. 

Peter Moore, a former hostage held almost 1,000 days in Iraq, says: “Humanize yourself and build a rapport with your captors.  Start small with getting different foods, and build up from there.” 

You want the kidnappers to see you as a person rather than a dehumanized victim. Bond with them so you will receive better treatment. To maintain your strength, eat and drink everything you are given. Establish a routine, as you may be in captivity for a long time. Keep yourself clean and exercise every day. Boredom is your enemy, so keep your mind active by taking on a mental project, like building your dream house or writing a book in your head.

3. Maintaining hope is critical during a kidnapping. Remember that your loved ones will be working hard for your release. Remain positive knowing the vast majority of hostages survive. 

“It is extremely rare for a hostage in a kidnap for ransom case to be killed—it becomes a bad business model for the kidnappers,” says Noesner. “Their goal is to obtain money, plain and simple, and that is less likely when they kill the hostage.  If they killed a hostage after securing the money, future victim families will stop paying money, seeing it as ineffective.” 

This is not the time to be demanding and difficult. Try to blend in with other captives and avoid being confrontational.

Elephant takes KJ Howe's hat hostage. Note: she is not panicking

4. If you are attempting an escape, plan a route before you leave. Once you commit to your course of action, don’t hesitate. Dr. Frank Grimm, hostage negotiator at Constellis Group, emphasizes this: “If you choose to escape, then you must be totally committed—think it through and prepare yourself now, as later may be too late.” Act with speed and aggression, and make your way to a previously identified safe haven or secure location. If you are caught, your kidnappers may make an example of you to dissuade other escape attempts.”

5. During a rescue, make sure you drop to the ground, spread your arms, hands open and flat on the floor. Grimm says, “Expect to be treated as a suspected hostage taker.  You may be restrained and treated in a forceful manner.”  Do not move voluntarily, even if you think the action has stopped. Follow the rescuers’ instructions without hesitation until you are safe again.

Again, Noesner stresses the importance of negotiation during the kidnapping: "Remember that kidnap for ransom is a crime in which both parties, the kidnappers and the family/corporation, both want the same outcome, the release of the hostage. The kidnappers want money but can only sell the hostage to one entity, therefore the family or corporation has some measure of control over the outcome. Simply put, the kidnappers need the good guys to pay.  Resolving a kidnap requires a thoughtful quid pro quo negotiation process to be effective.”   

By following these rules, you will stand a better chance of surviving your kidnap. It’s best to resist fight or flight and remain as calm and collected as you possibly can.

Wishing you safe travels and many adventures—and I hope you’ll never need the advice above, but learning protective measures is always a good idea for any Jungle Red globetrotters!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Ah. Well. Okay, then, Always good to be prepared. Yeesh.  “First, don’t panic.” Working on that.

Kimberley, you are amazing! Tell us about your book! And Reds—let’s talk about—Kidnapping. What are your “favorite” (yeesh) kidnapping books or movies? Method 15/30? Taken? Ransom?

And a copy of THE FREEDOM BROKER to one lucky commenter!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

K.J. Howe is the executive director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers. She is an avid traveler who has raced camels in Jordan, surfed in Hawaii, and dove with the great whites in South Africa. She became fascinated by the kidnap and ransom (K&R) world after meeting Peter Moore, a British computer consultant who became the longest-held hostage in Iraq and the only person to survive of the five men who were taken that day. The Freedom Broker is her debut novel. 

Skyjack, publishing in April 2018, is the next book in her kidnap and ransom series featuring hostage negotiator Thea Paris. She is also a member of Rogue Women Writers.  

-->

The Real-Life kidnapping that....

When the world's foremost kidnap and ransom negotiator is snatched by a ruthless drug cartel, Jake Riley becomes ensnared in the effort to save him. But he's up against Los Zetas, an elite paramilitary organization renowned for its ferocity and skill. Now he and his colleagues must navigate the dark underbelly of Mexico, from raging street wars to perilous jungles, in an effort to rescue him before time runs out.

After nearly losing her life on her last case, FBI Agent Kelly Jones may never do fieldwork again. Determined to regain her confidence, she joins Jake on his mission—and quickly realizes she's in over her head. Then in the slums of Mexico City, she encounters a former nemesis who's enacting a nightmarish ritual on the weak and vulnerable. Now she has one last, desperate shot to prove herself—by taking down a killer.
**about KIDNAP AND RANSOM by Michelle Gagnon



HANK: You know, here at JRW, we usually we have true crime Tuesday. But Michelle Gagnon's book KIDNAP and RANSOM inspired us to expand--this week at least--to True Crime Thursday.

Michelle explores a dangerous place and a dangerous group, and introduces us to a powerful character, to bring us an important message. (And an amazing story.)

The Real-life kidnapping that inspired KIDNAP & RANSOM
Michelle Gagnon

The initial idea for my latest thriller, KIDNAP & RANSOM, stemmed from a true story.

While researching border issues for THE GATEKEEPER in December of 2008, I stumbled across an article on the kidnapping of Felix Batista. Batista was a security consultant for ASI Global (if you saw the film PROOF OF LIFE, this was the same job held by Russell Crowe’s character).

Batista personally negotiated the release of more than a hundred hostages over the course of his career. That December he was in Saltillo, Mexico, offering advice on how to handle the uptick in abductions for ransom. While dining with local businessmen one evening, Batista excused himself from the table to take a phone call. On his way out of the restaurant to get better reception, he handed his laptop and a list of phone numbers to his companions in case he didn’t return (this was a man who clearly knew you can never be too careful).

Moments later, an SUV pulled up to the curb and forced Batista was forced inside. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

The irony of the story grabbed me—the hero becoming the victim, an expert suddenly forced into the position he’d saved so many people from. Stranger still, his kidnapping wasn’t proceeding normally—there was no ransom demand, and no one claimed responsibility for seizing him. It was a true mystery. (And over the next two years, kidnappings and cartel violence in Mexico became increasingly rampant, spilling over the border to such an extent that related articles appeared in the U.S. media nearly every day.)

So I set off to find out more about narcocartels south of the border, and about kidnappings in general. I fixed on Los Zetas, mainly because their backstory was fascinating.

Los Zetas is a gang comprised mainly of former Mexican Army soldiers. They were part of an elite brigade, comparable to the Army Rangers, trained in special operations techniques at Fort Benning. Upon returning to Mexico, they promptly left the Army and went to work for the Gulf Cartel.

Eventually, they branched off on their own, wresting control of drug trafficking operations from rival cartels. In recent years Los Zetas have become increasingly involved in kidnappings, murder-for-hire, extortion, money laundering, human smuggling, and oil siphoning. They’re suspected of killing the 72 migrants found in a mass grave in Tamaulipas last August, and of the murder of American David Hartley on Falcon Lake last September. The DEA considers Los Zetas to be the most violent paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico.

So when it came to villains, the choice was easy.

Last May, I attended the wedding of a friend from Mexico City who had helped tremendously with my research. At the reception, I was seated with some of his relatives. When they found out that my latest novel was set in their hometown, they were enthusiastic…until they heard the title.

“Oh, no,” one uncle said. “You cannot write about that. Mexico City is very safe.”

“Really?” I asked (in all sincerity, might I add). “I heard that most locals know at least one person who has been kidnapped.”

“Well, of course,” they all agreed. Every single person at the table knew someone who had been kidnapped. But as they explained, it’s much worse up north by the border with Texas. There, it’s really a problem.

Mexico is rapidly supplanting Iraq and Colombia as the kidnapping capital of the world. In the past decade, drug cartels and terror groups have seized upon kidnappings as a relatively low-risk source of financing. During a recent election in Russia, one political party’s entire campaign was funded covertly by ransom money.

Many kidnapping victims are held for months, or years. Some continue to be held even though their ransom has been paid. Many never make it home again.

I dedicated KIDNAP & RANSOM to them, and to people like Felix Batista who devote their lives to freeing them.

************************************
Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling novels have been published in North America, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. Michelle lives in San Francisco, where in her spare time she runs errands and indulges a weakness for Scrabble, stale cinema popcorn, and Hollywood blockbusters. Read more at http://www.michellegagnon.com/