Lost

by Gary Devon, Robert Gottlieb (Editor)

From page "when a 12 year old fires a gun at his own head while his little sister looks on--the novel seizes and holds us." The story takes you into the nightmare world of a child psychopath and his terrifying dog who torment a woman and her children...Dust Jacket A gripping First novel by an author hyped by his publisher as a "new master of terror and supense." It was nominated and was a finalist for the 1987 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller

355 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 1986

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devon serves up a dark tale here, a thriller set in the 1950s, starting in a small town in Pennsylvania. Lost opens with a bang, literally, as 14 y.o. Sherman shoots himself in the head out in a field. Why? Uncertain. What is certain is that young Sherman was pretty tweaked to start with, and after he recovered from his self-inflicted wound, even more so. Sherman's only 'buddy' is his younger sister Mamie, a precocious 7 year old, with whom they started a mini crime spree in the small town, taking little things from people's houses. When Sherman, after almost a year, is once again ambulatory he burns down his parents house with them and his younger brother in it after helping Mamie escape. Apparently Sherman had some grand plan for him and Mamie to run off somewhere, but Mamie is found by the fire and hospitalized for burns and shock.

Devon then introduces some other characters, most importantly Leona, who becomes the main protagonist. Leona has returned to her childhood home town to be with her older, married sister, and sees little Mamie when she visits the hospital. While Devon works to make us sympathetic to Leona, she is perhaps a little tweaked herself, as she decides to take Mamie and start a new life somewhere after she finds out she cannot adopt her (being single and all). So, one evening she grabs Mamie and goes, and as it so happens, this takes place right under Sherman's nose, as he was planning on grabbing Mamie that same night. So, Sherman, along with his nasty dog Chinaman (he is part chow) go on a mission to get Mamie back and put some serious hurting on Leona...

I really enjoyed the 1950s atmosphere, with the Korean war in the background, people buying those new fangled 12" T.V.s, and still listening to their favorite radio shows. Devon builds in some other story arcs here besides the 'chase' by Sherman, introducing an array of other characters to flesh out the story. Rather tame by today's standards, Lost fits nicely in the horror/thriller genre, but I was never quite sure who to root for-- tweaked little Sherman? Not really. Leona the kidnapper? Maybe, but she comes off as being rather shallow, taking Mamie more for her own needs than little Mamie. So, a dark tale with no real heroes set in gritty small towns across PA and West Virginia. Good, but not great. 3.5 tweaked stars!

[Neon · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: animal and child death. Gruesome, gory murders done by a child and kidnapping.

When I started this, I was both excited and uncomfortable, which doesn’t happen to me often. The start was extremely violent and drew me in because I hadn’t seen anything like it before.

Gary Devon has passed now, which is a shame because there is immense talent there.

I had to take a star off for the animal death, or it would have been a four star.

Lost is a story of a wannabe mother who steals a child from the hospital after her family dies in a find and then finds two more abused children in another town and takes them too.

Run away across the country with Leona and the three children as they are chased by the dark and angry presence that is Marmie's insane brother.

It's a good story for the most part.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 1950s chiller with a teen psychopath

This is a reprint of a book that was originally published in 1986. The author has since passed away, which is a shame. He was a talented storyteller.

The story takes place in the early 1950s during the Korean War and the author did a great job setting the scenes for that time period.

Young Sherman Abbott was 12 years old when he shot himself in the head - in front of his 6 year-old sister, Mamie. He didn't die but was in a coma for many months and when he recovered, he wasn't the same devil-may-care boy. The experience had turned him into a mini-psychopath.

Leona Hillenbrandt is 34 years old, has never had children of her own and spent quite a few years taking care of a doctor and his wife. And somehow she's not thinking right when she ends up taking Mamie away from her brother - and then ends up with two other small children, Walter and Patsy, that she rescues from an abusive situation.

The law doesn't agree with what Leona has done and Sherman REALLY doesn't agree. And so the chase is on.

I liked the way this story went together, all the pieces meshing just right, to come up with a very chilling tale that still had me understanding and emphasizing with Leona.

The characters are drawn clearly and concisely and the details about the 1950s add much to the story.

This was a chilling thriller and I highly recommend it.

I received this book from Open Road Integrated Media through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up years ago at a thrift store based on the cover alone. I thought it was going to be a horror story but its a suspense thriller instead and a dam good one.

Its the 1950s and Sherman and Mamie are brother and sister who get up to lots of mischief together in their rural town. Sherman after an accident and enduring a coma awakens and is "changed" for the worst. Sherman burns their house down killing their parents and other brother and Sherman goes into hiding. Mamie is recovering in hospital from shock and slight burns where she meets Leona.

Leona is lonely and visits Mamie and sits with her. Due to always wanting a child she kidnaps Mamie and goes on the run with her to have a child of her own she can look after. Sherman is watching however and commences to stalk them intent on having Mamie returned to him.

Its a solid cat and mouse chase plot with some gruesome murders and some excellent prose and descriptions. I loved the 50s feel to the novel which echoes throughout and it reminds me of early Dean Koontz thrillers that keep you on edge while you read it. 4.5 stars!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young kid, I came across this book. Yes, I should not have even gotten this book, if it were not for me finding it in the walking trail I was on as a 8 yr old.
Any how, this story is about Sherman, he is already a tweeked kid. He just gets worse as he gets older. His love for his younger sister is very strong, and he does things to family, as well as to the lady that Kid naps his sister.
Loads of action, loads of suspence, and a bit of raunch, does make this book interesting.
This was a quick read, yes even at that young age I was. I keep this book for one, it is a good book to read again.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lonely woman. Needy children. A boy whose closest companion is his vicious dog. A frightening, pursuit, yet heartwarming story that I didn't want it to end. I think this has to be one of the best books I've read! Loved it!

[Bibliovoracious · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and beautiful! Feels like being trapped in a dream you can't escape, but in a good way, eventually!

[Cathy Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly unpleasant and unbelievable book. Terrible ending and very weird subject matter. Really, just plain stupid!

[Patricia Folks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Had a lot of twist and turns I didn't see coming. Was a little thrown by the ending. But this is a great read, I 'm sure you will enjoy the book

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve year old Sherman Abbott and his seven year old sister Mamie have a tough life. Their father isn't exactly a nice person and he's twisted Sherman to some degree. Sherman wasn't all there to begin with but after he shoots himself in the head, he's more gone than not. When some crazy lady kidnaps Mamie, Sherman completely loses his mind and trails them relentlessly getting rid of anyone who gets in his way. Though Leona (the crazy lady) might have had the best of intentions - taking Mamie because she had no other family except a dirt poor couple who didn't want her - what she's done is illegal. Leona compounds her problems when she takes two other kids who were repeatedly abused by their mother. Again the best of intentions but...

I enjoyed the story though it took quite a while to get invested. It didn't tie up all the loose ends and left some gaping holes that really did need to be filled in. I was disappointed at the ending and a little teary eyed. Poor Sherman.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost by Gary Devon is a thriller. A teenage psychopath goes on a murderous rampage while searching for his kidnapped sister. When Shermin Abbott fires a bullet into his brain in front of his younger sister, Marnie his mother's diligent care and faith in his recovery helps him heal into some semblance of his former self. Very good read. Lots of action from the start. Had me gripped. I liked Shermin. He was my favourite character. There was nothing I disliked about this book. Highly recommended. 4* Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

[Evelynn Eason]

I was never meant to read this book. It was my older sisters back in the day. I had pulled it out of the garbage lol. And would sneak out to the back 40 to read on it. Very intense, very very descriptive (like me). I was hooked at the opening line. Again, not a book for most kids. I myself had already been through a molestation period of three weeks, putting down animals farm stile, and always being beaten up for being pour...so, I could take it. Very good book.

[Zai Zai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing made sense. No precedence. Nothing felt plausible. This book is absurd and almost surreal simply because it lacks any logic and coherence.

[Pat Camalliere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some reviews of this book that criticized it for being too dark and awful, likely because it is a child who is the evil person. It was written in 1986, so perhaps taste has gotten darker over time, but I don’t like dark and yet I didn’t think it was excessively dark. Quite the opposite, I found myself feeling jealous of the writer’s ability to keep the pace and keep me surprised, as well as his excellent way with words. I found myself saying over and over, “I wish I could do that so naturally.” His dialog was excellent, narrative in the right places and the right amount, reminiscent of the best of Dean Koontz. I could find little if anything to complain about. This is not my favorite genre to read, but I’m very glad I read this book, and I wish the author had lived longer to write more books. It’s a shame he died so young and left us so few of his books to read.

[Doug Hohbein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very talented writer. I enjoyed the characters but there were too many holes for my liking. Why did Sherman do what he did at the start of the book? There were supposed to be some answers but I never saw them. He is an amazing tracker for a 12 YO. With all the different roads in PA he was on the right one every time. Leona was never caught? Incredible, especially during a party full of people. The drawn map was just too convenient. Plenty eye rolls from me.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. A bit gruesome in some areas, but the main antagonist is a psychopath, so to be expected. I had to keep reminding myself that he was a little boy, though, because he's completely nuts. I was expecting the worst at the end, happy it wasn't a complete loss.

[Jasmine Poullard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish. I became bored halfway through the book… I like the plot. I didn’t like the chapters where they stayed inside during the snowstorm with V. it started to bore me. I put the book down. :/

ok book.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good book to read. You might like it.

[Brian Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A non-supernatural, supernatural thriller without many thrills...

[Heather Chesna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give it more, there was so much that really hit me emotionally! And it was very exciting. But too much was left hanging at the end.

[Nejc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable if forgettable. Less disturbing than I've expected it to be.

[Filippo Santaniello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storia potenzialmente interessante ma scritta malissimo, forse un problema di traduzione scadente

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected, and I wish the ending was different, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

[ClarePru · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely glorious book. I swallowed this one whole. I adored the characters and plot. A really enjoyable read.

[Sarah Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intense and well-written book. I think this one will stay with me for a while.

[Cindy McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally took my breath away. I'd received correspondence from the publisher's marketing department, asking if I'd yet had a chance to read it; I told them I was a bit behind in my reading, but promised it would be next on my list.

Little did I know I was sitting on emotional railroad tracks, and the train was hurtling right toward me. The turning point for me was a sanctuary the initial main characters found within the Turner household, an old farmhouse on a plot of land in West Virginia and occupied by an aging married couple and the wife's mother. These people are of the "salt of the Earth" variety, and it's impossible not to link your heart with theirs. Their neighbor -- a mile or so away -- is a younger single man with painful memories of his own who visits the Turner farm virtually every day to help them with the heavier chores.

I won't give away the ending, or even much of the plot, because it's an experience everyone should savor on their own. The author plays every string on his literary guitar to perfection: love, hate, fear, envy, redemption, and perhaps the two most important ones of all... true humility and compassion.

Without reservation, I give this book the highest accolades I can. A beautiful, heart-wrenching and inspirational look at those things in life that are, and should be, the things of greatest value. Most highly recommended.

*** This book was provided to me by the publisher and/or the author as an ARC in return for my honest review. ***

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked it up I couldn’t imagine why I’d brought it home with words like “Terrifying” & “relentless” on the back cover. It may have been the presence of the kids. I thought it really good even though it really didn’t tie up all the ends. A boy who was just somewhat wacky has an accident with a gunshot to his head. A woman who is nuts about kids kidnaps the boy’s sister & then 2 other children always with the best of rescue intentions. The boy pursues the woman to get his sister back. So we find out what happens to the boy with the scrambled brain, but nothing is resolved about the kidnappings nor the romantic interest. Well written.

[Wraith Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book ages ago, and had a sudden desire to read it again. Upon finishing it for the second time, I realized that I'd forgotten how there were so many loose ends. Once Sherman meets his fate, what's going to happen to Leona and the kids? Will the police catch up to them? What will happen if they do? Will Leona ever see Mark again? What eventually happened to Leona's sister? And so on and so forth.

I think it's the fact that there are so many loose ends that I wound up giving this book three stars instead of four. I felt the writing to be very good, and drew me in just as solidly as it did the last time.

[Shirley J · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a couple of surprising things about this book: I don't usually read horror and didn't realize this was a debut novel until I read the synopsis here. Even though the plot might not be terribly complicated, it is intriguing. I enjoyed the author's writing style so much, I read this book in two days.

Even though the cover of the book didn't entice me to read this book right away, it had moved with me over several years. I'm glad I finally took the book off my shelf to read. It was worth my time.