The Long Way Home (The Homelanders) [Hardcover]

Andrew Klavan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2010 | Series: The Homelanders (Book 2)

Sometimes you have to go home to find out who you really are.

Charlie West went to bed one night an ordinary high-school student. He woke up a hunted man. Terrorists are trying to kill him. The police want to arrest him for the stabbing death of his best friend. He doesn’t know whose side he’s on or who he can trust. With his pursuers closing in on every side, Charlie makes his way back to his hometown to find some answers. There, holed up in an abandoned mansion, he’s joined by his friends in a desperate attempt to discover the truth about a murder he can't remember—and the love he can never forget.  

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Unfortunately for Charlie, little has changed since the climax of The Last Thing I Remember (2009). He is still on the run from both the cops (who think he killed his friend Alex) and a group of terrorists known as the Homelanders (who may have brainwashed Charlie during his yearlong fugue state). Eager to clear his name, Charlie heads back to the most dangerous spot of all, the hometown where it all happened, and takes up residence in an abandoned house. Soon his old buddies—as well as the girlfriend he doesn’t remember—are pledging to help him operate covertly. Some readers may chafe at Klavan’s apparent conservative leanings, which come off more strongly in this volume. Also stronger, however, is everything else: Charlie’s ache for a normal life, action sequences that never let up, and showy set pieces (escaping a library, investigating a haunted house, even downloading software) that are wrung for every possible drop of nervous sweat. Best of all, unlike many second chapters, this one pays off with some seriously heavy revelations. Grades 8-11. --Daniel Kraus

About the Author

Andrew Klavan was hailed by Stephen King as "the most original novelist of crime and suspense since Cornell Woolrich." He is the recipient of two Edgar Awards and the author of such bestsellers as True Crime and Don't Say a Word.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595547134
• ISBN-13: 978-1595547132
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.2 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Klavan has been nominated for the Mystery Writer of America's Edgar award five times and won twice. He is the author of several bestselling novels, including Don't Say A Word, filmed starring Michael Douglas, True Crime, filmed by Clint Eastwood, and Empire of Lies. He is currently writing a series of thrillers for young adults called The Homelanders. The first two novels in the series are The Last Thing I Remember and The Long Way Home. Klavan is a contributing editor to City Journal and his essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among other places. His satiric video commentaries can be seen on PJTV.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is deeply conservative--moral relativism is the enemy March 10, 2010

By Unity Dienes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Although it features a fugitive for a hero and the police are generally his adversaries, this book is very conservative. Other characters mockingly refer to Charlie's patriotism and his character as a "True Believer" in home, God, and Country, but the undercurrent of the book is that Charlie is absolutely right to be a True Believer and his faith is what gets him through the tough times. Charlie has no proof for his belief that he is innocent and that he is "the good guy," and his faith suffers sometimes. Ultimately, though, faith is what keeps him going. He believes that proof is out there, and the action-packed backdrop for this crisis of faith drives the narrative. Most readers will only notice the action--my son raved about certain fight scenes and another somewhat spooky scene--but I don't think it's a coincidence that this is published by Thomas Nelson, a traditionally Christian publisher. The moral absolutism behind this book clearly posits that good and evil exist as real entities, that faith is justified even in the absence of facts, and that moral relativism is a slippery slope to terrorism (at one point a character as much as states this as a tautology).

Conservative parents will probably applaud these underlying themes, but more liberal-minded folks may take offense. Parents trying to teach that right and wrong only make sense in context and that there are no "absolutely true" things in life may find that this book subverts their point of view. On the other hand, parents who are teaching that some things are just right and some are just wrong will find subtle moral support behind the 24-esque action of this adventure.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Packed with Action! March 13, 2010

By J. Kaye Oldner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Excitement was what I felt when I saw the second installment of The Homelanders Series. In the last book, THE LAST THING I REMEMBER, readers were left with a lot of questions. Charlie West went to bed one night. When he awoke, he'd been captured by a group calling themselves the Homelanders and that wasn't the worse part. A year had gone by and he has no memory of it. If that wasn't bad enough, he's been found guilty of murdering his friend.

In book two, Charlie West is still on the run from the police and the Homelanders. He heads back to his hometown where he finds his friends, Miler, Josh, Rick, and his girlfriend, Beth. They believe he's innocent and help him find some answers as to who is behind the terrorist group. Beth fills him in on parts of the year he can't remember.

This series is written with a Christian slant. The preachiness seen in many of the Christian YA books is replaced with realistic values and Charlie West is very pro-America. Both this and the first book are packed with plenty of action that had me flying through the pages.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan January 12, 2010

By C. Van Zante

Format:Hardcover

The second book in the Homelanders series continues with the main character, Charlie West. Charlie woke up one day as a wanted man and he doesn't know why. Both terrorists and the police are trying to catch Charlie and all he wants are some answers. He goes home to try to find the reason behind the situation he has found himself in. His friends from home join Charlie and his quest for what has happened. The first book in this series was great and this book is a great continuation. It's a fast paced book leaving you wanting for more. Highly recommended.