Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Mariner Books (2017), Edition: 1, 314 pages
Description
In Red Leaves, Edgar Award-winning author Thomas H. Cook pens a compelling tale of suspicion and its corrosive effects on a family. When a little girl is missing on the morning after his teenaged son baby-sits for her, Eric Moore watches his world crumble as suspicion falls on his son. Although Eric hires a lawyer to prepare his son's defense, a haunting thought slithers into his mind. What if he has been nurturing a monstrous fiend?
User reviews
LibraryThing member markatread
I had trouble starting this book, it is about the abduction of a young girl. I don't generally like books that put children in peril as the emotional core of their story. But what the book turns out to really be about is the father of a teenage boy and his struggle with the growing suspicion that
The author, Thomas Cook, tells the two stories, of the first family and the second family, very slowly and exceptionally well. So well in fact that the problems that occur with the plot were easier for me to accept than they normal are. The plot is not really the central theme of the book so problems with the plot are not so important. The story of this father and his 2 families and the story of this father and his son are the central themes which the author explores exceptionally well. One weakness that does detract at times is the wife/mother in the 2nd family. Her responses and interactions with the father (her husband) are done very well; they help to advance the story several times. We learn a lot about him through her eyes. But her reactions and interactions with her son do not feel right. She is much to distant from him at the most imortant moment in his life. It does help that she is so distant because it gives the dad who was very distant from his son before the tragedy occurs, an opportunity to develop how he will react to his suspicions about his son slowly. But it doesn't feel like what this woman would do if confronted by what is happening to her son. She would be more protective and not just wait for her husband to figure out what he is going to do. She would know what she wanted to do much sooner than the father and would do it. It might be wrong but she would do it. The other poblem in the book is that after slowly telling these two stories so well, the author then has the father do someting very much out of character at the very end (page 279 of the 1st edition version). It does give the ending a bigger emotional whallop, but it is stll very much out of character for what the father has gradually become.
I like this writer and the way he told this story better than I liked the book. But it is still a good book. And Thomas Cook is obviously a very good writer.
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his son may be involved in her disappearance. A man who's almost idyllic life is in stark contrast to his own very unhappy childhood. It is the telling of both of these stories , the unhappy "1st family" and the almost idllyic world of the "2nd family" that the author wants to tell. The author, Thomas Cook, tells the two stories, of the first family and the second family, very slowly and exceptionally well. So well in fact that the problems that occur with the plot were easier for me to accept than they normal are. The plot is not really the central theme of the book so problems with the plot are not so important. The story of this father and his 2 families and the story of this father and his son are the central themes which the author explores exceptionally well. One weakness that does detract at times is the wife/mother in the 2nd family. Her responses and interactions with the father (her husband) are done very well; they help to advance the story several times. We learn a lot about him through her eyes. But her reactions and interactions with her son do not feel right. She is much to distant from him at the most imortant moment in his life. It does help that she is so distant because it gives the dad who was very distant from his son before the tragedy occurs, an opportunity to develop how he will react to his suspicions about his son slowly. But it doesn't feel like what this woman would do if confronted by what is happening to her son. She would be more protective and not just wait for her husband to figure out what he is going to do. She would know what she wanted to do much sooner than the father and would do it. It might be wrong but she would do it. The other poblem in the book is that after slowly telling these two stories so well, the author then has the father do someting very much out of character at the very end (page 279 of the 1st edition version). It does give the ending a bigger emotional whallop, but it is stll very much out of character for what the father has gradually become.
I like this writer and the way he told this story better than I liked the book. But it is still a good book. And Thomas Cook is obviously a very good writer.
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LibraryThing member carmarie
I really enjoyed this book. It captivated me from the start and kept my attention. It flows and was written gracefully. The relationship between the characters were real. Really liked this book. I look forward to my next Cook book.
LibraryThing member librarylady23
Boy accussed of abducting child he babysat. Pizza man involved.
LibraryThing member bridgid73
I enjoyed this book like I do most of Thomas Cook's book. Not a very difficult read, but I love the way he unravels the story as you go along. You start with the big picture and he continues to wittle away until all of the dark secrets are revealed. The subject matter, a teenage boy being suspected
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of a crime, was a little emotionally troubling for me, given that I am a mother. I did enjoy this book and look forward to reading more of his books. Show Less
LibraryThing member meroof30
This was my first book by Thomas Cook, but it won't be the last. He is an incredibly gifted writer. The story about a pedophile and a missing little girl is sad and incomprehensible to us "normal people". But the mystery about the abduction and apparent murder actually pale in comparison to the
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real story about relationships within the Eric Moore family and those who live around them. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliobeck
Librarything-o-meter thinks I 'will love' this book... and it isn't wrong! I bought this on a whim and from the first page absolutely couldn't put it down. I'm not a fast reader, so it's a good job I'm on holiday at the moment, because I read until I finished it.
An eight-year-old girl goes missing
I thought I had the ending sussed fairly early on, but I was only partly right and wasn't prepared for the way the story played out. The book is gripping and everytime I tried to put it down, it magically appeared in my hands again. On the surface it's an excellent mystery/thriller, at a deeper level it's a brilliant exploration of relationships, of the many faces we all choose to show others at various times and of the consequences of suspicion that begins 'with a subtle itch', but quickly becomes a 'raging affliction'. Wondefully written and an excellent read.
An eight-year-old girl goes missing
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sometime during the night that her neighbour's teenage son was on babysitting duty. After the initial shock and immediate defence of his son, Eric Moore begins to question whether he is in fact innocent at all. He is 'odd', a loner with self-esteem issues and seems to have trouble telling the truth. As Eric's world unravels it seems that no family members are what they seem and his suspicions grow about everyone around him.I thought I had the ending sussed fairly early on, but I was only partly right and wasn't prepared for the way the story played out. The book is gripping and everytime I tried to put it down, it magically appeared in my hands again. On the surface it's an excellent mystery/thriller, at a deeper level it's a brilliant exploration of relationships, of the many faces we all choose to show others at various times and of the consequences of suspicion that begins 'with a subtle itch', but quickly becomes a 'raging affliction'. Wondefully written and an excellent read.
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LibraryThing member auntmarge64
In this tense novel, a father describes what happens to his family after his teenage son falls under suspicion of kidnapping a little girl he babysits. Once started, it is hard to put the book down: up to the end it is unclear whether the child will live or die, whether the father will have faith
My main problem with the story is how the boy's parents react to the little girl's disappearance. The morning after the son babysits, they receive a hysterical call from the girl's father. After reassuring the girl's father that they have no information, the family simply goes on with its routine of jobs and school. They don't go over to the girl's home, they don't offer to help in the search, they don't get an attorney, and they don't even seem all that curious as to what's happened - until the police start showing up. While I was glued to the action, I couldn't get this unlikely reaction out of my mind.
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in his son, and whether the family will survive the ordeal, although it's obvious from the way the story is told that all does not end well. My main problem with the story is how the boy's parents react to the little girl's disappearance. The morning after the son babysits, they receive a hysterical call from the girl's father. After reassuring the girl's father that they have no information, the family simply goes on with its routine of jobs and school. They don't go over to the girl's home, they don't offer to help in the search, they don't get an attorney, and they don't even seem all that curious as to what's happened - until the police start showing up. While I was glued to the action, I couldn't get this unlikely reaction out of my mind.
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LibraryThing member bhowell
Red Leaves is a harrowing psychological drama which I liked even more than "The Cloud of Unknowing". It is a sensitive and terribly sad story which will haunt you for days. I loved it.
LibraryThing member 1983mk
"Red Leaves" by Thomas H. Cook may be the first ever true mystery that I have read. I can't tell you exactly what I was thinking, or what appealed to me when I pick up this book. I generally don't read myseteries and even though I have read other male authors before, it is rare that they appeal to
That being said, I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. This book made me very uncomfortable. Mr. Cook told a story of a family torn apart by suspician and the loss of a neighbors child. "Red Leaves" forces you to think about what happens when little girls are kidnapped. I was kept awake at night thinking about what it would be like if it was my daughter. I hated that fact. No mother wants to think such thoughts.
However, because of the fact that this book made me uncomfortable and made me think disturbing thoughts, I must say that Thomas H. Cook did what every author strives to do: he made me sit up and notice, think and ponder, worry and get angry. It is for these facts that I would say "Red Leaves" is a successful book, even if not a good book.
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me. That being said, I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. This book made me very uncomfortable. Mr. Cook told a story of a family torn apart by suspician and the loss of a neighbors child. "Red Leaves" forces you to think about what happens when little girls are kidnapped. I was kept awake at night thinking about what it would be like if it was my daughter. I hated that fact. No mother wants to think such thoughts.
However, because of the fact that this book made me uncomfortable and made me think disturbing thoughts, I must say that Thomas H. Cook did what every author strives to do: he made me sit up and notice, think and ponder, worry and get angry. It is for these facts that I would say "Red Leaves" is a successful book, even if not a good book.
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LibraryThing member LizzySiddal
The most appealing book on the 2006 Daggers shortlist with a most beautiful dust jacket. An absolutely stunning crime novel with a heart-breaking denouement.
LibraryThing member adithyajones
An excellent suspense filled novel of misunderstanding,how suspicion and trivial things in life can result in tragedy told in the excellent,literary quality writing of Thomas H Cook.
LibraryThing member grigoro
Beautifully written. A tragic telling of the disintegration of a family after a 15-year old is investigated in the disappearance of a 6-year old he was babysitting. Although I read this book with unease, I couldn't put it down.
LibraryThing member mikedraper
This book reminded me of the Biblical story of Job.
Like Job, Eric Moore, had pretty much everything, he had a successful job, was looked up to in the community and a good family.
One night, his teenage son was asked to babysit for their eight-year-old neighbor. The next morning, the neighbor called
The story goes on to elaborate the growing doubt and the circumstantial evidence that points to Keith.
The police confiscate Keith's computer and then bring him in for questioning.
The details are laid out in a lyrical fashion and when something happens to one character, the girl's father tells Eric that this doesn't change anything.
The conclusion is beautifully done and leaves the reader wondering how one man can endure so much.
Like Job, Eric Moore, had pretty much everything, he had a successful job, was looked up to in the community and a good family.
One night, his teenage son was asked to babysit for their eight-year-old neighbor. The next morning, the neighbor called
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and said that his daughter was missing.The story goes on to elaborate the growing doubt and the circumstantial evidence that points to Keith.
The police confiscate Keith's computer and then bring him in for questioning.
The details are laid out in a lyrical fashion and when something happens to one character, the girl's father tells Eric that this doesn't change anything.
The conclusion is beautifully done and leaves the reader wondering how one man can endure so much.
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LibraryThing member susannelson
A beautifully written, tragic story of a family's struggle to withstand a catastrophic event in their lives.
LibraryThing member dorie.craig
A young girl disappears and the sullen, loner 17-year old boy who had been babysitting her prior in the evening becomes the main suspect. The story is told from the point of view of the teenager’s father, who suddenly suspects he knows little about the members of his own family. This story was
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great but I had to reduce a star because of the intense foreshadowing that was as subtle as a sledgehammer. I must give extra praise for the cover of the hardcover edition, which is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Show Less
LibraryThing member JohnJGaynard
This was the first of Thomas H. Cook's I have had the pleasure to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You are the father of a 15-year old boy. You begin to believe he is responsible for the disappearance of an 8-year old girl. You see the family life you have so carefully constructed begin to fall
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apart. Those are the lines along which Cook has written an admirable novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member morganborthwick
A subtle picture of disturbia.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook is a beautifully written, haunting story about a devastating event that changes the life of more than one family. A little girl goes missing while under the care of a sixteen year old boy, and many believe that this boy is the one to be held accountable. Unfortunately
The on-going police investigation and the anguish of both families is explored but there was something very familiar about this story that actually had me checking to see whether I had already read the book. I hadn’t but I think the plot line was similar to some other books that I had previously read.
Red Leaves examines a horrendous crime and as the pages turn we can see the pressures that both families feel. All is finally revealed in the final chapter but the destruction of these families brought about by accusations, suspicions and lack of communication is firmly in place by then. An interesting, somewhat bleak story.
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even his parents have their suspicions.The on-going police investigation and the anguish of both families is explored but there was something very familiar about this story that actually had me checking to see whether I had already read the book. I hadn’t but I think the plot line was similar to some other books that I had previously read.
Red Leaves examines a horrendous crime and as the pages turn we can see the pressures that both families feel. All is finally revealed in the final chapter but the destruction of these families brought about by accusations, suspicions and lack of communication is firmly in place by then. An interesting, somewhat bleak story.
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Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 2006)
Anthony Award (Nominee — Novel — 2006)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2006)
Barry Award (Winner — Novel — 2006)
Martin Beck Award (Nominee — 2007)
Language
Original publication date
2007