Still Missing [Paperback]

Beth Gutcheon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 1996

Alex Selky, going on seven, kissed his mother goodbye and set off for school, a mere two blocks away. He never made it. Desperate to find him, his mother begins a vigil that lasts for days, then weeks, then months. She is treated first as a tragic figure, then as a grief-crazed hysteric, then as anreminder of the bad fortune that can befall us all. Against all hope, despite false leads and thedesertions of her friends and allies she believes with all her heart that somehow, somewhere, Alex will be found alive.

Beth Gutcheon builds a heartrending suspense that culminates in a climax you will never forget.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A surprising depth of understanding.... A consistently intelligent piece of work.” (Ms. magazine )

“This is exactly the way it would be if your child didn’t come home on time from school tomorrow.” (Los Angeles Times )

“Haunting, harrowing, and highly effective...a stunning shocker of an ending.... It strings out the suspense to the almost unendurable.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Gutcheon sustains suspense to the final page.” (Times Literary Supplement )

“Mary Higgins Clark fans will enjoy this harrowing tale.... Highly recommended.” (Library Journal )

“Mesmerizing...absolutely riveting.” (Newsday )

“Powerful...a body-blow of a novel.... Gutcheon [tunes] the tension to a shattering pitch.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Gutcheon plays on our emotions with fiendish skill… the ending will leave you limp.” (Cosmopolitan )

About the Author

Beth Gutcheon is the critically acclaimed author of eight previous novels: The New Girls, Still Missing, Domestic Pleasures, Saying Grace, Five Fortunes, More Than You Know, Leeway Cottage, and Good-bye and Amen. She is the writer of several film scripts, including the Academy Award nominee The Children of Theatre Street. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060977035
• ISBN-13: 978-0060977030
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #761,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HEARTWRENCHING, COMPELLING, AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN..., January 29, 2001

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Still Missing (Paperback)

This is a story of hope, loss, and faith, despite seemingly insurmountable odds. It is the story of a mother's belief that her six year old son, who was abducted while on his way to school, is alive somewhere and just still missing.

Harvard University professor Susan Selky, seperated from her husband, Graham, lets her six year old son, Alex, walk the several blocks to his school all by himself. One morning she says good bye to him, not realizing until later in the day when he does not return home after school, that he simply never made it to school that morning.

The police are notified and an immediate manhunt ensues for the missing boy. The story follows the impact that the boy's disappearance has on Susan and Graham, as well as the reaction of those closest to them and of the public at large. It explores their relationship, as well as their relationship with others in the context of the tragedy which has befallen them. You definitely feel her pain.

Sensitively drawn and well written, the books explores the avenues that Susan travels in her steadfast search for her son. What happens is sure to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. The author plays on the reader's emotions and keeps the tension taut throughout the story, making for a real pager turner of a book. The suspense is kept up until the very end, where it boils over into a crescendo of a finale. This is, without a doubt, one of the best suspense novels to be found.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Success, January 5, 2001

By 

K. Fromal "kristinof" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Still Missing (Paperback)

I have enjoyed several of Beth Gutcheson's other works, but found Still Missing to be very compelling. The book starts out with an everyday occurrence - Alex Selky, almost seven years old, leaves his house to walk the three blocks to school. However, the day becomes far from ordinary when, eight hours later, he does not return and his mother Susan realizes he is missing.

The novel then takes the reader through the process of locating a missing child: the initial burst of energy and compassion, the police procedure, and the attention by friends; which is inevitably coupled with a decrease in interest and loss of faith when the child is not found. Gutcheson guides the reader through both the actual happenings in the investigation of the crime and the way it effects the characters relationships with each other. Overall, I found the book a compelling read, well worth the time.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dramatic story of waiting and wondering., October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Still Missing (Paperback)

STILL MISSING is one of the greatest books Iv'e ever read. The wondering and waiting of this story keeps you flipping through the pages, wanting to find out what is going to happen next. The books kicks off with suspense as the seven year old boy never comes home from school one day.Then they suspect their gay housekeeper of molesting and killing their son. I feel this story,was much like watching a missing child report uncover on the news for months, but with out the long wait unless you are a slow reader.If you like reading suspense novels, than you will love. "Still Missing" by Beth Gutcheon.