Red Leaves by Thomas H Cook

[ian]

My first go at a review - please be gentle!

 

"Eric Moore has reason to be happy. He has a prosperous business, a comfortable home, a stable family life in a quiet town. Then, on an ordinary night, his teenage son Keith is asked to babysit the eight yer old daughter of a neighbouring family. The next morning the girl is missing."

 

I'd not read any of Thomas Cook's books before, so had no expectations and can't compare to any of his other stuff. I found this really enjoyable. The pace of the book is fairly slow, but the tension and paranoria that he conveys as the plot unfolds kept me hooked from start to finish. It's actually quite claustrophobic in parts. The story is told in a series of flashbacks - the only additional information you get is that there is more than one death. The main charactor, Eric Moore, tries to get to the bottom of what his son knows about that night, while at the same time trying to defend him against police interest, town opinion, plus some unanswered questions about his own past. The final pages deliver a few twists, which I won't spoil here. My only criticism; The teenaged son, Keith is a little unbelievable. His reaction to being told that the 8yo he babysat the previous night was just not believable. That aside, a great read - very recommended.

 

Ian

[Roland Butter]

Thanks for the review, Ian. I read Cook's Places in the Dark (a very long time ago!) and really enjoyed it. Perhaps I should look out for some more of his stuff.

[Kidsmum]

Thanks for the review, i've not heard of Thomas H Cook before so i'll look out for this one

[Zumii]

I too haven't heard of Thomas H Cook before but I do like the sound of the book. I'll add it to my list of to buy/to read books . Ty