Listen free for 30 days

  • Kidnapped

  • The Tragic Life of J. Paul Getty III
  • Written by: Charles Fox
  • Narrated by: Michael Kramer
  • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Kidnapped cover art

Kidnapped

Written by: Charles Fox
Narrated by: Michael Kramer
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.97

Buy Now for $31.97

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Previously published as Uncommon Youth, Charles Fox's Kidnapped examines the glamorous life, gilded family, and tragic times of J. Paul Getty III, whose kidnapping made headlines in 1973.

J. Paul ("Little Paul") Getty III, the grandson of Getty Oil founder J. Paul Getty, may have been cursed by money and privilege from the moment he was born. Falling in with the wrong people and practically abandoned by his famous family, Getty was a child of his international jet-set era, moving from Marrakesh to Rome, nightclubs to well-appointed drug dens. His high-profile kidnapping defined the decade - and was permanently memorable for the ear that was mailed to his mother as evidence of the kidnappers' intentions.

Kidnapped is richly reported and includes many interviews with Getty himself, conducted from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, that raise new angles about the case. How much did Getty acquiesce to the kidnappers? Why wouldn't his rich-as-Croesus grandfather pay the ransom, which began at the equivalent of $550,000 in lire and bulged to 3.6 million as the months dragged on? Charles Fox began following and researching this story in the days shortly after Getty's disappearance. This fascinating audiobook captures the voices of models and maids, mistresses and mothers, carabinieri and club owners, drug dealers and drivers, alongside the Getty family members themselves to paint an evocative portrait of an era and one of its most misunderstood participants.

©2003, 2017 Charles Fox (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

More from the same

What listeners say about Kidnapped

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

I knew of this kidnapping but not much behind the facts. This book did an incredible job of telling Paul’s story, the burden of his name, and how his life unraveled after he was released. Great suspense, as the book opens with both Paul and the author (Charles) in wheelchairs, and Paul not able to speak, communicating his wish that Charles tell his story. How did they know each other, how did they both end up disabled? This curiosity created a tension that was maintained until the very end. Great writing. And a great tragedy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!