Well... the idea for this book is pretty sound - three guys break outta jail and hole up in the house of the all American family, the Hilliards. Mom, Dad, daughter, and son are terrorized. But really, it's pretty tame stuff. Sort of like a "Leave It To Beaver" version of a home invasion/family kidnapping. The characters think and think, what they could do, what they should do, and what they may have missed out on. And I didn't like the daughter, son, or Chuck, and I didn't care if something bad happened to any of them. It's a short book, but it seems long. The copyright in 1954, so maybe this is what the world looked like to this author back then. But it's just so sanitized, that I didn't enjoy it much. ( )

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