Aruba

May 8, 2006
Though nearly a year old-an eternity in media time-the story of 19-year-old Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba continues to stir in the public consciousness (a new arrest was reported as recently as April 16). This latest addition to the missing girl's casefile is co-authored by her father, whose motivation for writing the book is straightforward: "I am a father who has no idea what happened to my child. ... Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she being held captive somewhere? ... I need to know." Trouble is, Holloway doesn't know. As such, there isn't enough new or complete information here to draft a true crime story, and Holloway is repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to investigate. While he remains convinced that Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and his friends are connected to Natalee's death, Holloway also floats possible involvement by the Mafia, a sex ring, and the drug trade. The closest Halloway comes to a complete theory, "Either ... local boys chase after unsuspecting girls, drug and rape them the night before they leave ... or there is a much larger conspiracy where girls are made to disappear at the whim of some higher-ups," is too broad and unsubstantiated to generate much suspense. Sadly, those who follow the case will discover much more about the anguish of a confused and desperate father than they will about Natalee Holloway or her disappearance.

April 24, 2006
Though nearly a year old-an eternity in media time-the story of 19-year-old Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba continues to stir in the public consciousness (a new arrest was reported as recently as April 16). This latest addition to the missing girl's casefile is co-authored by her father, whose motivation for writing the book is straightforward: "I am a father who has no idea what happened to my child. ... Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she being held captive somewhere? ... I need to know." Trouble is, Holloway doesn't know. As such, there isn't enough new or complete information here to draft a true crime story, and Holloway is repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to investigate. While he remains convinced that Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and his friends are connected to Natalee's death, Holloway also floats possible involvement by the Mafia, a sex ring, and the drug trade. The closest Halloway comes to a complete theory, "Either ... local boys chase after unsuspecting girls, drug and rape them the night before they leave ... or there is a much larger conspiracy where girls are made to disappear at the whim of some higher-ups," is too broad and unsubstantiated to generate much suspense. Sadly, those who follow the case will discover much more about the anguish of a confused and desperate father than they will about Natalee Holloway or her disappearance.

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