Long Lost [Hardcover]

David Morrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2002

New York Times bestselling author David Morrell is back with a fast-paced tale of a man struggling to reclaim his abducted family from a stranger who may possibly be his long-lost brother.Brad Denning is a successful architect living a perfect life in Denver with his loving wife and son. Or so it would be, if not for the haunting memory of his brother Petey who disappeared while under Brads supervision when they were kids. Now, a man claiming to be his sibling has mysteriously appeared and Brad is eager to take him in, despite the mans haggard appearance and reluctance to reveal anything about his past. Petey is a welcome addition to the family, until a camping trip goes terribly wrong and Brad returns home to find that his devoted wife and son have been abducted. Certain that Peteyor whoever he may be is responsible for the horrible crime, Brad sets out to recover his family. Travelling alone through Americas heartland, its a race against time as Brad struggles to get to his family before the terrible secret of what really happened long ago destroys everything he cares about.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Robert Ludlum, Morrell began his bestselling career with short, tough action yarns (First Blood; Testament), then moved into very long, very complex conspiracy thrillers (The Brotherhood of the Rose). This modestly exciting thriller is a return to his old laconic style, but what's missing is the original plotting that has marked so much of Morrell's fiction. The novel does boast a first-rate setup: narrator Brad Denning is on top of the world, with a great career as an architect, a wonderful wife, Kate, and son, Jason, 11 never mind the trauma that scarred his youth, when his 11-year-old younger brother, Petey, was kidnapped, never to be found. Now a "rough-looking" man shows up outside Brad's Denver office, claiming to be the long-lost Petey. Brad takes Petey, who's apparently become a hard-knock drifter, into his home. Days later, Petey pushes Brad off a cliff, leaving him for dead. Battered Brad claws his way home to find Petey gone, along with the presumably kidnapped Kate and Jason. The remainder of the novel details Brad's cross-country attempt to track them down. Morrell tosses in a major complication when it appears that Petey may not be Petey after all, but few readers will be surprised by the novel's conclusion. Along the way, there are several strong action sequences, particularly one in which Brad gets trapped in a dark, snake-infested cellar, but Morrell has written this sort of pitch-black action scene before. The novel is slick, but there's little in it that's unexpected.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author of such suspense novels as Desperate Measures and Black Evening has written another winner. When Brad Denning was a boy, he had a younger brother named Petey. One day at a baseball game, Brad told Petey to get lost, and Petey rode away on his bike never to be seen again. Now Brad is married and has a son almost Petey's age, a constant reminder of his lingering guilt from Petey's disappearance. On a typical morning at the office, a man confronts Brad, claiming to be his long-lost brother and tells him things only Petey could know. Is this really Petey after all these years, or is it a ruthless con man with a hidden agenda? Morrell admirably conveys the terror of losing a family member to unexplained circumstances and maintains the suspense until the last page. For all fiction collections. Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; 1ST edition (May 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446529400
• ISBN-13: 978-0446529402
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,685,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Under Morrell's Standards....., March 17, 2005

By 

Juan C Villamil (Bogota, Colombia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Long Lost (Mass Market Paperback)

LONG LOST is definitely a page turner. I read it in two days. However, as with Morrell's THE PROTECTOR, I was expecting more. I've read most of what he has written, and his most recent books cannot be compared to his earlier ones.

LONG LOST is different from most of all his other novels, in the sense that the main character is not a bodyguard, spy or other type of super human caracter. Brad Denning is a typical wealthy american, who is dedicated to his work and his family. He is, however seriously affected by the fact that his kid brother was kidnapped 25 years before. He feels responsible and has carried guilt with him practically all his life.

The plot is well laid out, and Brad Denning is a credible character.

The book is very easy to read and chapter after chapter you will simply want to go on, and find out what happens next. The ending, which again never happened with most of his prior works, is rather predictable.

If this book is compared to others of the same genre, it will definitely come out on top, but Morrell has set very high standards with his prior novels, and fans will be left with a bit of a sense of emptiness.

Overall, the book is pretty good, and it's worth the time it takes to go through the 300+ pages.

I am starting to think that the muses of inspiration have abandoned Morrell, but since he still has to make a living, he continues to write.

Being not only an avid reader, but also a music addict, I must say if I compare books to music, I had a similar feeling with U2, right after they released RATTLE AND HUM. In my opinion, they put out quite a few weak albums, which people continued to buy simple because it was U2.

Morrell has written so many good books, that I am willing to give him alast chance. If his next book does not rise to my expectations, that's it for me and him.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A family is torn apart by terrors from the past., May 24, 2002

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Long Lost (Hardcover)

David Morrell's new novel, "Long Lost," is about Brad and Karen Denning, a happily married couple who live with their eleven-year-old son, Jason, in Denver, Colorado. Brad is a prosperous and well-known architect. He has received favorable magazine and television coverage praising the innovative structures that he has built.

Brad has one major regret in life. When he was a thirteen-year-old youngster in Ohio, he once told his nine-year-old brother, Petey to go home by himself, since Brad's friends didn't want a little kid tagging along with them. Tragically, Petey got on his bike, pedaled away, and disappeared off the face of the earth. Petey's disappearance devastated the Denning family and Brad has never gotten over his grief and his guilt over the loss of his brother.

One day, a man shows up out of the blue and calls out Brad's name while Brad is walking along the street in downtown Denver. The man states that he had seen a television spot featuring Brad, and he insists that he is Petey, Brad's long-lost brother. "Petey" claims to be elated to have the opportunity to reconnect at last with his family and he seems anxious to make up for all the lost years when the brothers were separated. After an initial period of understandable skepticism, Brad buys the man's story, particularly because "Petey" knows facts about the boys' childhood that no one else could have told him.

Brad soon finds that he has inadvertently plunged himself and his family into a morass of terror and despair by allowing this man into his home. Is this man really Brad's long-lost brother, or is he an impostor? What soon becomes clear is that "Petey's" agenda is not about reconciliation. Brad is soon put into a position of having to single-handedly save his family and himself from disaster.

Morrell's writing in "Long Lost" is simple and understated. The chapters are brief and he uses the first person, which makes the action more personal and immediate. The novel is fast-paced and exciting and the reader is kept on the edge of his seat wondering how the plot will resolve itself. The only downside is that occasional melodramatic touches seep into the narrative, and there are a few cliches which detract from the flow of the story. However, for the most part "Long Lost" is a good summer read. Put your feet up and prepare to lose yourself in a story about a desperate person who will do anything to reclaim his life from a very dangerous man.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars taut suspense thriller, May 5, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Long Lost (Hardcover)

As the older sibling thirteen-year-old Brad Denning knew he was responsible for his kid brother nine-year-old tag along Petey. However, his friends encouraged Brad to send Petey home. So Brad told Petey to leave. The sobbing preadolescent biked away. However, when Brad returned home for supper he learns that Petey did not come home. Frantically their parents called friends and the police, but the skinny little kid never came home.

Nearing forty, Brad is married, has a son, and has a successful architect career, but remains guilt stricken by the sobbing of a LONG LOST nine year old. Desperate for closure he appeals on TV for Petey to come home. In Denver, a mangy looking construction worker calls Brad by name insisting he is Petey. Though initially skeptical, Brad begins to believe him because this guy knows insider things about Brad and their parents. Brad takes Petey home, where his wife and son warmly welcome him.

While camping, Petey shoves Brad off the edge of a cliff before abducting his sister-in-law and nephew. Brad survives and begins an odyssey to rescue his family from the avenging serpent.

LONG LOST is a taut suspense thriller that hooks readers from the very first line until the one sitting tale is finished. Though Petey's revenge seems extreme, especially the events he committed after he left his brother for dead, the suspenseful plot thoroughly retains its grip on the reader. David Morrell has furnished a powerful haunting thriller with a frightening ending that just adds to the depth of a hard to forget novel

Harriet Klausner