The Twelve

by Howard Kaminsky

Cult leader Josiah Hammock and his fanatical followers, besieged by government forces, die in a suicidal explosion after releasing twelve children, who, five years later, mysteriously vanish at the same time that members of the besieging force start dying violently

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Suspense

274 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Dollie]

A cult similar to the Branch Davidians is killed in an explosion set by their leader, Joshua Hummock. Before Hummock destroys the compound, he releases twelve children to FBI agent Nick Barrows and child psychologist, Sandy Price. Four years after the explosion all of the children suddenly disappear from their homes and people formerly involved in the disaster are starting to be killed in a number of different ways - by teenagers. Nick and Sandy realize who the killers are and that even Nick is a target. They try to find help to track down the children but no one will believe them. The Kaminsky’s writing is fast paced, but throughout the book I felt one certain character was the prime suspect and I ended up being correct in my assumptions. I didn’t suspect everything that was going to happen, like the ultimate plot of the children terrorists (or the fact that the climax of the story would happen on an island off the Maine coast), but I still thought this story was pretty predictable. Kinda thin. Save your money and wait till a friend is through reading it or you see it in a used book store (where you’ll soon find numerous copies, I’m sure).

[Dawn Dols-WIlliams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit creepy and weird. Hubby took it from me the first time as it gave me nightmares, so I gave it another shot and WOW! Sounds familiar

[Karen]

A cult leader lets the FBI take 12 of the children from the camp, then blows up himself & the other (mainly adult) cult members. Then I got sick of how poorly written the book was and put it down.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little wishy wasy for a horror/mystery as you always knew how it was going to end up. Was an interesting idea for a story, though.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cult leader releases 12 children from the compound before the compound explodes. What happens next is interesting, a plot I haven't seen before, something new.