The Keeper [Mass Market Paperback]

Meg O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993

When her fears for her child, in the custody of her ex-husband, are discredited by police, former alcoholic Brooke Hayes calls upon ex-cop John Creed to find her missing and endangered daughter. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of four mysteries starring reporter Jesse James ( The Daphne Decisions , etc.) takes a break from her series to offer a simplistic plucky-heroine-in-a-tough-spot scenario that she gives narrative drive through a handful of gut-wrenching sequences involving a kidnapped child, and through a neatly drawn conclusion. Brooke Hayes, a divorced recovering alcoholic who is now trying to get back into acting and motherhood, receives a phone call from her panic-stricken daughter Charly, who manages only a few terrified words before the line goes dead. Ex-husband Nathan, with whom Charly currently lives, insists the child is fine but then disappears himself. Brooke turns for help to John Creed, a former cop perilously close to depression and terminal burnout whose own son disappeared five years ago, and who now lives in a Los Angeles house full of long-dead files, photos of missing kids, computer records and unsolved cases. O'Brien's various California locations seldom come to life, and in Brooke she has created an odd yet superficial character, but she manipulates the chase formula with great style, keeping Nathan's level of deceit carefully under wraps until very near the close, and delivering the requisite happy ending by means of a pleasantly off-center assignment of guilt.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With this new suspense novel a la Mary Higgins Clark, O'Brien departs from her mysteries featuring tough reporter Jesse James ( The Daphne Decision , Bantam, 1990). Here she plumbs the emotions of a divorced mother, actress Brooke Hayes, trying desperately to get her life back on track after several years of drug and alcohol abuse so that she can gain joint custody of her young daughter Charly. Brooke has the lead role in a musical revival and seems on her way to recovery. After a strange call from Charly, Brooke is sure her daughter has been kidnapped, although her ex-husband swears Charly is safe. Because of her unstable past, Brooke receives little help from the police. She enlists the help of "The Keeper," John Creed, an ex-cop whose mission is locating missing children. As Brooke and Creed trace Charly, they uncover a sinister conspiracy. This is taut, one-sitting reading with well-drawn characters and a compelling plot. Highly recommended where suspense fiction is in demand.
-Dean James, Houston Acad. of Medicine/Texas Medical Ctr. Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 10 pages
• Publisher: Crimeline (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055329878X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553298789
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,057,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific read!, February 21, 2010

By 

Terri L. Doria (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Keeper (Mass Market Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Keeper". Other than her Jesse James series, I would have to say this book was my favorite Meg O'Brien book. I was caught up in the story and the characters from start to finish.

3.0 out of 5 stars This thriller does its job but misses the mark on being a great read., June 9, 2006

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Keeper, The (Hardcover)

O'Brien produces a thriller that keeps the suspense up but still comes up short from being a truly satisfying read.

The plot concerns the kidnapping of Charly Hayes, the daughter of a Nathan and Brooke who are divorced. Accusations of parental kidnapping fly from both parties and eventually Brooke is secretly sent to John Creed, an ex-cop who is known as the Keeper (Keeper of the Flame, Keeper of the Faith, Keeper of the Files) who is unofficially attached to LAPD as a one-man department to find missing children. When things get rough, he has a team of volunteers to help him out - both inside and outside the department. Creed is an emotional train wreck who obsesses since his own son has been missing for 5 years.

Some of O'Brien's transitions from one character to the next are clunky and the relationship between Creed and Brooke is telegraphed from the first page that they meet. O'Brien has several discrepencies, such as having Brooke chamber a round in a revolver and using plain, untreated tap water to clean a fish tank. Those are annoying, but mostly I found myself wishing that this same premise for a plot were re-written by someone else who could make the characters come alive a bit better. The character of Brooke just did not work for me. Unfortunately, despite the name of the book, The Keeper and his team were not the focus of the book. If they had been, it probably would have been a better book.

Once again, it's not a bad book, but it certainly isn't a great one either. I give this one a final grade of C+.