Customer Reviews

After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive

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I don't have a connection to the missing child movement, a part from the fears that every parent has about their children's safety. But even without such a connection, I was drawn to "After Etan", and literally could not put the book down. It's a biography of a winsome boy, an evil drifter, a heroic family and an important movement in our nation's history. It's also a thrilling detective story, written in a style that not only engages, but invites the reader in as a sort of "Watson", accompanying author Lisa "Sherlock" Cohen on an investigation whose outcome is anything but predictable.

Reading Lisa Cohen's powerful reporting is truly cinematic. As you turn page after page--and I promise you, reading this book will glue you to your chair--you will wonder, how did this writer EVER get to all these sources, and knit together such an emotionally charged yet shatteringly objective rendering of the historic Etan Patz case. If you are a parent, you will run to your child and hold him close, all the while wondering how Etan's parents ever lived through this horror with their sanity intact. You will ask questions of the American legal system that you never asked before. I urge you to read this book, even if you imagine that crime reporting is not your thing. This book proves once again that truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

As the mother of two sons, it's painful to think about the Etan Patz story. But Lisa Cohen has done a fabulous job of telling this story, and bringing all of the characters to life -- from his parents and siblings, to the detectives who spent their lives looking for his killer, and the prosecutors who would not rest until the family had some closure. Cohen's portrait of Jose Ramos, a convicted child molestor and the prime suspect in the case, is both horrifying and fascinating, and extremely well done. I could not put the book down -- and I am left anxious to know more.

I couldn't put it down...I swear I had tears in my eyes at the end (of a non-fiction book!). While I learned a lot about the case, it also told the amazing story of the parents who somehow found the inner strength to persevere. As a parent, I felt so many emotions while reading and I hope the book raises awareness to keep the case going and molesters off the streets! Highly recommended.

AFTER ETAN, Lisa R. Cohen's mesmerizing account of the tragic and complex circumstances surrounding the Etan Patz abduction, is one of the most engrossing books I've read in a long time. I was only 5 years old when the Etan Patz case became a media event, but being from the NY area, it permeated my world for years to come and likely added a sense of paranoia to every parent from my generation. Periodically, the story of Etan Patz would come to mind, and I failed to believe that after so much time this was still an unsolved case. No longer is that true, thanks to this remarkable and multi-faceted triumph. Cohen weaves together incisive factual reporting on every twist and turn of this enigmatic case with the suspenseful, page-turning instincts of a seasoned mystery writer.

Cohen delves into the morass of this well documented case and sifts through some of the truly choice details that made it so nagging and painful. Cranks and crazies, psychic visions, hippie communities, jailhouse snitches and one pesky typewriter ribbon- they all coalesce to make AFTER ETAN a nerve jangling ride. Cohen seamlessly weaves together three concurrent and equally captivating stories throughout the book: the suffering of the Patz family and their ability to rise above their grief; the eerie and lurid life of Jose Ramos, the primary suspect in the case who eluded prosecution for years; and finally, Assistant U.S. District Attorney Stuart GraBois' valiant and dogged pursuit of justice. Cohen takes the reader from one unexpected event to the next, flouting the urge to sensationalize the story when it could have been so easy to succumb.

As a result, AFTER ETAN stands as a salient piece of non-fiction and a riveting human interest piece. To call it simply a crime story, suspense novel, courtroom drama or even public service would be reductive. It's all of those and much, much more. It also stands as the definitive resource on the Etan Patz story, humanizing this child in ways that his widely-circulated image cannot. This is an essential and rewarding read for anyone willing and able to delve into such an emotionally wrenching story.

Etan Patz was the first missing child who became nationally known, and thirty years after his disappearance his case still remains one of the great mysteries. Author Lisa Cohen has written a book whose narrative crackles and whose superb reporting keeps this story fresh in our memory... for those of us old enough to recall that day in May, 1979.

"After Etan" works on so many levels...first and foremost, Etan's disappearance and the emotional level in which it left his parents. But for much of the middle of the book, the Patzes largely vanish themselves, replaced by an introduction and follow-up to the hard work of attorney Stuart GraBois, who took a special interest in the Patz case and whose emotional battles with suspect Jose Antonio Ramos make the book stand out. Along the way there are the "Rainbows", a hippiesque group that was instrumental in having Ramos arrested...their addition relieves some of the necessary tension that author Cohen presents.

This is one of the best books of the year and Lisa Cohen has written a tour de force. I highly recommend it for its supercharged story and Cohen's depth in reporting.

Cohen tells this complicated story with great passion and finesse. I found the account of the disappearance absolutely compelling. Cohen blends circumstance and emotion skillfully without resorting to anything approaching histrionics. I doubt there is a parent alive who wouldn't read the account of Etan's disappearance and be dropped headfirst into the well of what such a moment would feel like, all the while being relieved and grateful that they could close the book and walk away from it. The work reminded me of the excellent writing by Philip Gourevitch in "A Cold Case." Highly recommended.

After Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America CaptiveAfter Etan: The Missing Child Case that Held America Captive


Great writing! Lisa was able to create a perfect balance between the investigative story and the heart wrenching human interest story. I wanted to finish it. I was wondering how Lisa would end the book. And she did so brilliantly. But what really made it work for me, is the very sparingly hint of what really happened to Etan and who he was. I needed that, eventhough it will always be speculation. The writer didn't linger on it, she gave us some clues and I am sure every reader will make up his own mind. For me; Etan was a smart, life loving, adventurous kid, just too smart and guided by his parents to take the abuse he endured by Ramos. He either fought back and/or talked back, saying he would tell his parents. He somehow enraged or scared Ramos. It is every parents nightmare and yet we all strive to raise our children as courageous and righteous as Etan.

Patricia Crevits

On May 25, 1979, six-year old Etan Patz walked from his home on Prince Street in New York City for the first time to his school bus stop and was never seen again. Now author Lisa Cohen has written an account of this case providing us with the agony experienced by Etan's family. Individuals such as Assistant U. S. Attorney Stuart GraBois, NYPD Detective Bill Butler, along with numerous others dedicated themselves in an attempt to bring closure to the case. In addition to not knowing what happened to their son the Patz family had to deal with crank telephone calls, psychics who had their own personal agendas regarding the case, along with self-righteous individuals who questioned the judgment of a parent who would let their child on his own in such a situation, the mother smiling in public instead of being "appropriately mournful", and the father who made his living as a photographer taking a photograph of his photogenic son sitting on a ladder without wearing a shirt.
A good portion of the book deals with an attempt to get prime suspect Jose Ramos to confess to the boy's murder. Ramos confessed to "90%" of the crime, but when it came to actually killing the boy Ramos states he put the boy on a subway to see an aunt in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan.
To their credit neither parent blamed the other for the tragedy. Etan's parents, Stan and Julie Patz, have successfully raised their two remaining children. Stan carries on with his photography business while Julie plays several roles working in a nearby middle school influencing the lives of those she comes in contact.
To be sure, due to the subject matter, this was a difficult book to read with bad luck and evil colliding to create a tragedy that made parents reevaluate the relationships their children have with other individuals.

I resisted reading this book as I try to stay away from stories based on children in peril, especially, in this case, as I am the mother of a blond boy who is six. I thought my heart would break for the family if I knew all that they had gone through. But the book drew me in, and instead of being horrified, I found myself amazed by the dedication of the investigators, and the strength of the family.

While I've lived in NYC since the late 80's, I only knew a little about the Etan Patz case so every page was a revelation. The author teases out facts and discoveries at just the right pace, so the reader can try to piece it all together as the story unfolds.

While it's still an incredibly sad story, it is undeniably inspiring as well.