What do you think?
Rate this book
Jesse Falkenstein #12
Little Boy Lost
Was it a miracle-or a murderous masquerade? Los Angeles attorney Jesse Falkenstein has some chilling, all-too-true-to-life bedside reading; a case from "Unsolved Mysteries of the Twentieth Century". Twenty years ago, on a sweltering September night, a child named Tommy Traxler was kidnapped from his nursery. His parents paid a $100,000 ransom-but never saw their son again. Now someone claiming to be long-lost Tommy Traxler has suddenly appeared...on the doorstep of his wealthy (now widowed) mother. Much to the dismay of Jesse Falkenstein's client - heretofore Mrs. Traxler's sole heir and assign. All of which leads our counselor through a tangled web of deceit, treachery and murder before he learns the unbelievable truth about the restless ghost of little Tommy Traxler.
- GenresMystery
179 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
7 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2020
Jesse Falkenstein is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area, dealing mostly with estate planning, contracts and divorces. Just now and then, an unusual case comes along. When Mrs. Charlene Garland comes asking for his help, he is astonished to learn Garland's aunt, a Mrs. Traxler, believes her long-ago-kidnapped son has returned... even though pretty much everyone, including the FBI believed the boy was killed by his kidnappers.
It seems obvious to everyone except Mrs. Traxler that Jerry Smith, the supposed prodigal son, is a con man seeking to scam the old lady out of her reasonably-sized fortune. Intrigued and naturally skeptical about resurrections, Jesse undertakes an investigation into the old kidnapping case, family connections, possible servants with a grudge. Smith knows an awful lot about five-year-old Tommy Traxler's life -- names for favorite toys, the pet name for his nanny, the nursery rhymes he recited for guests. Someone coached him. But who? And why?
I tag these books as police procedurals, because even though Falkenstein is a lawyer, these books are written as stories of the slow, tedious investigations... the neverending legwork needed to break a case. If you don't enjoy that slow pulling at threads to find the truth, you won't like these books.
It seems obvious to everyone except Mrs. Traxler that Jerry Smith, the supposed prodigal son, is a con man seeking to scam the old lady out of her reasonably-sized fortune. Intrigued and naturally skeptical about resurrections, Jesse undertakes an investigation into the old kidnapping case, family connections, possible servants with a grudge. Smith knows an awful lot about five-year-old Tommy Traxler's life -- names for favorite toys, the pet name for his nanny, the nursery rhymes he recited for guests. Someone coached him. But who? And why?
I tag these books as police procedurals, because even though Falkenstein is a lawyer, these books are written as stories of the slow, tedious investigations... the neverending legwork needed to break a case. If you don't enjoy that slow pulling at threads to find the truth, you won't like these books.
April 7, 2019
I wasted three days of my life that I'll never get back after reading this book.
Boring. A whole lot of nothing happening.
A wealth couple's son was kidnapped. A ransom was paid but the child was never returned to his parents. Everyone except the boy's mother thought he was dead.
Twenty years later, a man shows up, claiming to be that little boy. The mother is ecstatic but no one else believes that he is Tommy. The mother's niece hires a detective to check up on this guy.
Meanwhile, the guy is enjoying a new car, & an allowance from his mother.
Boring. A whole lot of nothing happening.
A wealth couple's son was kidnapped. A ransom was paid but the child was never returned to his parents. Everyone except the boy's mother thought he was dead.
Twenty years later, a man shows up, claiming to be that little boy. The mother is ecstatic but no one else believes that he is Tommy. The mother's niece hires a detective to check up on this guy.
Meanwhile, the guy is enjoying a new car, & an allowance from his mother.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews