When eight-year-old David Greene climbs through his bedroom window and walks to a nearby suburban mall, he intends only to give his mother Drew a scare. But on this Southern California evening, David's game turns into every parent's worst nightmare. Denver's abduction of David is practiced and nearly perfect. A friendly "stranger" masking a deeply confused and dangerous mind, Denver woos David with stacks of baseball cards, swiftly undermining the boy's trained responses. When David accepts the offer of a ride home, he disappears - off the face of the earth. As the hours pass, Drew's emotions escalate, from anger at her son's disobedience to fear, to stunned disbelief when she realizes David is not with his father or friends. He's gone. All too soon, the Sherwood Police charge a local schizophrenic with David's murder and declare the case closed. Fueled by terror and an acute instinct that her son is still alive, Drew appeals to her disjointed family and a maverick police officer. Together they launch their own full-scale search. The story alternates between Drew's frantic hunt for the son she knows is still living and the boy's brave struggle to survive by leaving clever hints of his presence even as Denver retreats further and further into insanity.
From the Hollywood reporter who gave us The Making of the Wizard of Oz, the story of a little boy who seems to disappear over the rainbow and his mother's struggle to get him back. Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews
Eight-year-old David Greene is a difficult kid, troubled by his parents' divorce. Sent to his room for fighting with his little brother, he runs away, intending to return by dark. By the time Drew, his mother, realizes he's missing, David has journeyed to the mall in his home town and been abducted by a drifter. Beaten and robbed of his identity?literally speechless with fear?David nevertheless refuses to surrender to his captor's madness. He leaves ingenious clues for his mother and her search team: the battle-scarred detective assigned to the case, Drew's ex-husband's computer-savvy young girlfriend; and Drew's mother, who dotes on her three golden retrievers. This first novel from Harmetz (The Making of the Wizard of Oz, LJ 10/1/77) is more than just another child-in-jeopardy thriller. She's created a multilayered story with unforgettable characters. Fans of Joy Fielding will love this. Highly recommended for all fiction collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/97.]?Laurel A. Wilson, Alexandrian P.L, Mount Vernon, Ind. Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information.
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