Book Review: lost boy lost girl

Reviewed By: Sandi - RAM

lost boy lost girl     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Peter Straub
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Supernatural
October 2003; Random House, 281 pp.

The latest in Peter Straub's long list of mysterious supernatural/horror novels is entitled "lost boy, lost girl."

This story revolves around the Underhill family, pulling at it and into different directions. In the opening Nancy, wife of Phillip and mother of Mark, commits suicides. Then Mark becomes obsessed with the abandoned house behind theirs. As he and his best friend, Jimbo Monaghan, begin to investigate the house, teenage males begin to disappear from the local park. They are convinced the house, or its Presence, is involved. They find the house's history is hush-hush, but finally learn a serial killer lived in the house. He tortured and killed his family and many women in that house. Finally he was caught, then convicted, and murdered while incarcerated.

More teenage boys are missing, and Mark becomes even more obsessed with the house, spending more time inside. Then Mark is missing.

Tim Underhill, Phillip's brother and Mark's uncle, comes back into town. At Nancy's funeral, he made a connection with his teenage nephew, and now returns to help look for him. Tim retraces a lot of Mark's research into the murderer's house. Many sessions with Jimbo finally draw out much of the detail. Working with the local police and a local private detective, he takes the lead in searching for his nephew. Mysterious emails, Jimbo's information and a search in the spooky house give Tim hope that Mark is not dead. Or is Phillip right, and the serial killer has already killed Mark?

Mr. Straub successfully creates a Midwestern town with its parks, alleys and downtown that everyone can recognize. Then he places people familiar to us all in it. With suspense, he then engages the reader into the story until the fascinating ending. You could get lost in it, boy or girl.

Sandi - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Sandi - RAM