Gilded Prisons

By: Linda Gould
Publication Date: April 2021
ISBN: 979-8-742818762
Reviewed by: Katie Specht
Review Date: October 12, 2021

Author Linda Gould's newest offering, Gilded Prisons, is a thrilling mystery with political undertones. Gould pens a unique story of the kidnapping of a famous athlete motivated by political reasons.

Major League baseball player Justin Moore truly has it all: a prominent career, a devoted wife, two beautiful daughters, great friends, and stunning good looks. However, Justin’s life as he knows it comes crashing down one autumn day as he is forcefully kidnapped at gunpoint. The kidnappers intrude on Justin and two fellow teammates after a workout at the baseball stadium, leaving the teammates tied up and fleeing with Justin.

Investigation into the kidnapping reveals that it was devised by a woman named Guadalupe, who is the estranged ex-wife of a Cuban American baseball player. As more information about her surfaces, it is revealed that she organized a kidnapping of a different baseball player in the past. While Justin is held as a prisoner by her and her husband, her rather selfish motives for the kidnapping are uncovered.

Further complicating the situation is the political tension that exists between Cuba and the United States. Using her political status as the wife of the Cuban president’s son, Guadalupe arranges virtual meetings with the President of the United States to discuss negotiations regarding Justin’s captivity and potential release.

When Justin finally makes it back home to his family, a period of healing and reintegration awaits him, his wife, and his daughters. Throughout his imprisonment, his wife, April, had been unwavering in her efforts to bring him home, despite the intense grief she was simultaneously experiencing. Justin and April, who were once the golden couple of the baseball world, must now pick up the pieces of their shattered lives as they attempt to adjust to a new normal. Their new reality ends up being vastly different than anything either of them could have ever imagined, with their combined resiliency playing an integral role in their recovery.

With Gilded Prisons, Gould has achieved a thrilling story of mystery, politics, and manipulation. Gould’s writing is succinct, and readers will appreciate experiencing the story from the perspective of more than one character as Gould divides the storytelling between the points of view of Justin, April, and Guadalupe.

It is worth noting that the character development that Gould achieves in Gilded Prisons is exemplary. There are numerous important characters in this story and frequently when there is a large cast of characters, an unfortunate result is often that their personalities are underdeveloped or lacking depth. Gould succeeds in presenting well-rounded characters that the reader is familiarized with effortlessly. Readers will find themselves rooting for Justin and April, while simultaneously, experiencing an intense aversion to Guadalupe and others who helped orchestrate the kidnapping.

Quill says: With Gilded Prisons, Gould has succeeded in writing a page-turner that is full of surprises that the reader will not see coming. The conclusion of the book will astonish the reader, leaving him or her longing for more pages in the story.

To learn more about Gilded Prisons, please visit the author’s website at: letsplayballbook.com

Author Interview