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Picture Perfect
Lorrie Ryan looks forward to taking her young nephew Davey on a camping trip, even though it's been arranged for the sole purpose of keeping him out of harm's way while his father testifies for the prosecution in a big drugs trial. But events take a turn when, on their first morning at the campsite, Davey disappears.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
916 people are currently reading
1101 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
428 books6,545 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
September 12, 2014
I seriously considered putting this book down multiple times but since I paid for it I felt I had to see it through. Very disappointed, the story and characters were nothing like the summary on the back cover.
I didn't see Davey's parents as "nervous and overprotective" I saw them as very selfish and self centered.
Davey was a young child of 7 who was afraid of the dark shadows that fall across his room at night, it's hard to believe that he was capable, under duress and health issues, to make decisions that even adults might not have thought of under stress.
I saw the killer as more of a bully with a hot temper than the "cruel predator." The predator was actually the one lead into a "game of cat and mouse" by the child, not the other way around.
I won't even share my thoughts on the well educated doctor and seasoned FBI agent.
I felt that the characters were disjointed, uninteresting and unbelievable. The story line, as well as the characters actions and interactions did not ring true to life.
My first Fern Michaels book, next time I'll read the reviews before I pick one up.
I didn't see Davey's parents as "nervous and overprotective" I saw them as very selfish and self centered.
Davey was a young child of 7 who was afraid of the dark shadows that fall across his room at night, it's hard to believe that he was capable, under duress and health issues, to make decisions that even adults might not have thought of under stress.
I saw the killer as more of a bully with a hot temper than the "cruel predator." The predator was actually the one lead into a "game of cat and mouse" by the child, not the other way around.
I won't even share my thoughts on the well educated doctor and seasoned FBI agent.
I felt that the characters were disjointed, uninteresting and unbelievable. The story line, as well as the characters actions and interactions did not ring true to life.
My first Fern Michaels book, next time I'll read the reviews before I pick one up.
July 28, 2011
ok this book was not what it was described to be. it was supposed to be a cunning killer in this book. the killer in this book was a stupid drunk who killed the first person in a rage of anger and killed the second person near the end of the book in another fit of rage. he was constantly being outmanuevered by an 8 yr old little boy- I'm sorry that doesnt sound to cunning to me. the guy got caught by the kid because he was stupid and continued to do stupid things throughtout the whole book. the book could have been cut in half if it wasnt for the extra story they decided to add into the book. the boys parents werent even involved in the story. they were in a secondary story that was really not even needed in the first plce. the only thing they second sor did was make the oys mom seem like an ice cold _ itch. I dont recommend this book. i finished it just because i have to finish a book once i started it but if i had read a review of it before starting it i would have put it back on the shelf. which is sad because normally this author is wonerful. i will stick to her vigilantes series.
August 14, 2010
For some reason, I couldn't get into this book at all. Most of the characters were unsympathetic, cold and unreal caricatures. The characters who were intended to be 'nice' were uninteresting as people and didn't have enough interaction to hold my interest. As my writer friend would say "You have to show NOT tell." This book doesn't do that feel strange giving a poor review, because I usually like Fern Michaels and loved her Sisterhood series. Not sure what happened here, but I found it a chore t read and almost didn't finish it.
January 9, 2023
I don’t even know where to start with this book. After reading the summary on the back of the book, I was expecting to be reading a thriller crime novel about a cunning serial killer. Unfortunately, the summary was incredibly misleading. Additionally, there were two plots occurring within the novel, and would have been better if the book stuck to one. There was little character development. The last couple chapters did capture my attention, and provide me with that “thriller-page turner”.
February 4, 2024
Wow, great read. Well written and totally suspenseful, kept me not wanting to put it down.
December 28, 2013
Davy is a hemophilac. He goes on vacation w/his aunt & uncle while his parents are at a murder trial that his father is testifying at in FL. While out camping, Davy comes in contact with a young couple. Cudge just killed a man and him and his girlfriend take the body to the campgrounds to dump the body. Davy's little dog is sniffing around and Cudge worries it will bring the cops & catch him. He kicks out at the dog and the dog runs back to the camp site, but Davy trying to draw attention away from the dog, runs in another direction and his in a camper. Unfortunately its Cudge's camper! Cudge doesnt know this and him and his gf take off and hope to be away from the crime scene where he buried the body. Davy being a hemophilac is on a new drug that he needs to take each day or he could possibly bleed to death. The story is full of suspense, but at times is too outrageous to believe. It kept me interested, but it had its downfalls.
April 26, 2007
This was the first Fern Michaels novel I have read, for while my bout with mono last October/November, my sweet friend from Austin lent me a crate of her books. Among them were Fern Michaels books, which I decided to try out. It was a-OK. Nothing unique or powerful. It was about a boy with a physical disability who had stumbled upon a murder while camping with his aunt, and ended up getting chased and searched by the murderer who was determined to silence him. The story was predictable, except for the end regarding the disabled boy's "picture perfect" mother. Humph. Anyway, will I read another Fern Michaels book? Nah. Nope. I ended up returning most of her unread books before leaving for PA.
November 22, 2014
This was a wonderfully well written book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Taking a nice vacation and turning it into a nightmare. The suspense keeps you turning the pages. I could barely put it down. Fern Michaels does not disappoint with this psychological suspense mystery. It has two or three mini plots that get you the well rounded characters that every person loves to meet when reading.
April 27, 2019
I liked this book...suspenseful and exciting. I don’t know why it’s named Picture Perfect, but maybe because the mom in this book, Sara, was a perfectionist, almost Stepford wife like?
So this book starts off by introducing us to the Taylor family. Davey Taylor is a seven year old boy who is a hemophiliac and to make matters worse, under constant scrutiny and perfectionism of his mom. While his parents go down to Florida so his father can testify in a drug deal murder case, Davey is going to spend time with his Aunt Lorrie, the opposite of her sister Sara, a Doctor, easy going, and much in love with her nephew.
We’re also introduced to low life Cudge Balog and can’t really call her anything but maybe someone to beat up on, his companion, Elva. While Elva was getting a pizza, Cudge’s friend Lenny comes over for the $50 Cudge owes him. Instead, Lenny is killed by Cudge who gets into rages from time to time. Now the problem is how Cudge and Elva are going to get rid of the body.
Both set of characters meet up at a secluded off season campsite. Lorrie, Davey , and his dog Duffy are at one camp, Cudge and Elva are in another. They bury Lenny but the next day Cudge realizes they should have gone through his pockets for money and have to dig him up. (!) Davey happens to be wandering about, having met the couple before and not liking Cudge at all. But due to unlucky circumstances, not only does Davey and Duffy annoy Cudge, he thinks Davey has seen them with a dead body. Cudge runs after Davey. Then the most horrible thing happens...of all places Davey could have hidden...he goes into Cudge’s camper to hide?!? Well that just takes him away from the camp...but Cudge and Elva are not the sharpest tools in the shed...they eventually wind up back near the camp, Elva knowing that Davey is in the camper and promising to get him out. Luckily, the camper has a flat tire, so Cudge has to leave for town and Elva stays. She gets to Davey in the camper, but is really losing it when she thinks of him as her younger brother who was killed due to abuse a long time ago. They both fall asleep and don’t wake up until the next day with Cudge coming back, having severely beaten a prostitute. He sees Davey escaping and his rage comes back, this time killing Elva. Cudge then goes on a rampage trying to find Davey...he can’t let anyone know he killed his friend Lenny.
In the meantime, Lorrie is back at camp worried sick. The FBI agent, Stuart Sanders, who was guarding the family due to the drug case has come to help. He and Lorrie like each other.
Andrew and Sara are in Florida where Andrew is testifying in court about witnessing the drug deal. Sara decides to stay with Andrew rather than coming back to New Jersey when she learns her son is missing. She kind of loses her mind after that...thinking their district attorney is part of the drug syndicate. When she decides to fly back to New Jersey, she misunderstands DeLuca saying to his associate to “take care of her.” What he meant was to get her to the airport because he didn’t want her in the courtroom influencing her husband. What she thought was he wanted her killed. So when she gets to the airport and his associate followed her, she tries to lose him, running all the way to the runway and a plane’s wheels land on her.
So after what seems like Davey running and hiding forever, and Cudge seeming to find him wherever he’s hiding, the cat and mouse game comes to an end when Cudge and Davey wind up in the wildlife preserve, in a tree, and Cudge falls in the lion’s den. Davey is found by Lorrie and and Stuart. Predictably, Andrew moves away, Lorrie and Stuart will probably get together, and become the guardians of Davey and his hero dog, Duffy.
So this book starts off by introducing us to the Taylor family. Davey Taylor is a seven year old boy who is a hemophiliac and to make matters worse, under constant scrutiny and perfectionism of his mom. While his parents go down to Florida so his father can testify in a drug deal murder case, Davey is going to spend time with his Aunt Lorrie, the opposite of her sister Sara, a Doctor, easy going, and much in love with her nephew.
We’re also introduced to low life Cudge Balog and can’t really call her anything but maybe someone to beat up on, his companion, Elva. While Elva was getting a pizza, Cudge’s friend Lenny comes over for the $50 Cudge owes him. Instead, Lenny is killed by Cudge who gets into rages from time to time. Now the problem is how Cudge and Elva are going to get rid of the body.
Both set of characters meet up at a secluded off season campsite. Lorrie, Davey , and his dog Duffy are at one camp, Cudge and Elva are in another. They bury Lenny but the next day Cudge realizes they should have gone through his pockets for money and have to dig him up. (!) Davey happens to be wandering about, having met the couple before and not liking Cudge at all. But due to unlucky circumstances, not only does Davey and Duffy annoy Cudge, he thinks Davey has seen them with a dead body. Cudge runs after Davey. Then the most horrible thing happens...of all places Davey could have hidden...he goes into Cudge’s camper to hide?!? Well that just takes him away from the camp...but Cudge and Elva are not the sharpest tools in the shed...they eventually wind up back near the camp, Elva knowing that Davey is in the camper and promising to get him out. Luckily, the camper has a flat tire, so Cudge has to leave for town and Elva stays. She gets to Davey in the camper, but is really losing it when she thinks of him as her younger brother who was killed due to abuse a long time ago. They both fall asleep and don’t wake up until the next day with Cudge coming back, having severely beaten a prostitute. He sees Davey escaping and his rage comes back, this time killing Elva. Cudge then goes on a rampage trying to find Davey...he can’t let anyone know he killed his friend Lenny.
In the meantime, Lorrie is back at camp worried sick. The FBI agent, Stuart Sanders, who was guarding the family due to the drug case has come to help. He and Lorrie like each other.
Andrew and Sara are in Florida where Andrew is testifying in court about witnessing the drug deal. Sara decides to stay with Andrew rather than coming back to New Jersey when she learns her son is missing. She kind of loses her mind after that...thinking their district attorney is part of the drug syndicate. When she decides to fly back to New Jersey, she misunderstands DeLuca saying to his associate to “take care of her.” What he meant was to get her to the airport because he didn’t want her in the courtroom influencing her husband. What she thought was he wanted her killed. So when she gets to the airport and his associate followed her, she tries to lose him, running all the way to the runway and a plane’s wheels land on her.
So after what seems like Davey running and hiding forever, and Cudge seeming to find him wherever he’s hiding, the cat and mouse game comes to an end when Cudge and Davey wind up in the wildlife preserve, in a tree, and Cudge falls in the lion’s den. Davey is found by Lorrie and and Stuart. Predictably, Andrew moves away, Lorrie and Stuart will probably get together, and become the guardians of Davey and his hero dog, Duffy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2022
A mostly fantastic book that lacks precision and polish. The novel begins strong and maintains it's quality throughout a good sixty-five percent of story. It is a page turning thriller, and the story has you hooked from the first few pages. There are moments-- even whole chapters-- of absolute brilliance. However they are diminished by sections where the writing feels rushed. The romance feels forced, and is poorly timed. There is no growing intimacy between the couple and they fall into each other's arms (and lips) at the oddest, most inappropriate of times. It takes you immediately out of the story and even tempts you to skim through those parts because they are so full of cringe. A beautifully written scene of one characters death that catches you by surprise and keeps you on the edge of your seat is followed by a climactic ending that climbs so much that it becomes reaching and then ends up circling aimlessly while the author struggles to land on an appropriate ending. The appropriate ending is just missed by what feels like the author's desire to see the villain die in the most bizarre death possible, and the finale is rushed and questions are left unanswered. Research is spotty, as the 90s lingo and political climate are confused with more recent events, and the era would have been better left to guesswork that explicitly stated and then proved inaccurate.
The title is cliche and has no bearing whatsoever on the story. I cannot make the connection the author intended for it.
Over all, it was a book worth reading for the originality of the plot and story. The characters were well developed and the writing was fair.
I will read more from this author, but will expect less.
The title is cliche and has no bearing whatsoever on the story. I cannot make the connection the author intended for it.
Over all, it was a book worth reading for the originality of the plot and story. The characters were well developed and the writing was fair.
I will read more from this author, but will expect less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2020
X. Idk this was kind of a bizarre book & it painted a bleak picture of humanity with all the side thoughts? (Not sure if that’s the best word) of the people along the way. Like everyone had an agenda or an issue that was bad....hemophiliac little boy (Davey) with distant, super-strange parents that pretty much overprotected & neglected him at the same time. A doting Dr./Aunt Lorrie taking him on a camping trip. The little boy gets caught up with a villain with some kind of mental problem and violent streak and his string of victims. An FBI agent guarding the family because the dad witnessed a drug deal. I mean this story has A LOT going on! It was both overwhelming but I also had to skim over some areas to get to a point. There was a lot of time spent on Davey running.
There was definitely a story (or several) trying to be told here but it was just over done and over detailed. I felt genuine sorrow for Elva and her life. Davey was resilient but I just didn’t get his parents & their ENTIRE story! Also, I felt NO spark of romance between FBI Saunders & Lorrie and there story was cut short and frankly, disappointing.
The villain was certainly not a “cunning killer” indicated on the book jacket. lol FAR from it. But he was certainly a villain. The ending though....was abrupt and let me hanging.
Overall: idk I feel a little shell shocked after reading this. What was going on with like the syndicate/mob people and the attorney guy? What happens with Lori and & Sanders? Where tf did the dad have to go at the end of the book (witness protection? It doesn’t say)? Just a lot of sub-stories,” and very little resolution at the end.
There was definitely a story (or several) trying to be told here but it was just over done and over detailed. I felt genuine sorrow for Elva and her life. Davey was resilient but I just didn’t get his parents & their ENTIRE story! Also, I felt NO spark of romance between FBI Saunders & Lorrie and there story was cut short and frankly, disappointing.
The villain was certainly not a “cunning killer” indicated on the book jacket. lol FAR from it. But he was certainly a villain. The ending though....was abrupt and let me hanging.
Overall: idk I feel a little shell shocked after reading this. What was going on with like the syndicate/mob people and the attorney guy? What happens with Lori and & Sanders? Where tf did the dad have to go at the end of the book (witness protection? It doesn’t say)? Just a lot of sub-stories,” and very little resolution at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2022
The book was overall alright, but I don’t think I would read it again. For the most part, it was very predictable. By the time you read the first chapter and the summary on the back cover, you know what happens until the end of the book. Davey’s parents were completely unlikeable and the “romance” that happened in the book did not develop at all. Saunders declares in chapter one that he is interested in Lorrie. The first time you hear from Lorrie, she states her interest from him and from there they just become a couple. There was no development. There were two “spicy” scenes in the book. Both were completely unnecessary. The first was in the first chapter between Sara and Andrew (Davey’s parents) and the next was a fantasizing scene about someone else where Sara masturbates to their lawyer, who she hates. It just felt very unnecessary and awkward to read.
Early on in the book, Saunders and Lori expressed their care for Davey and it was easy to predict that they would take him in at the end. I did not predict that Sara would die, but she was so unlikeable that I was glad.
The killer in the story was not a cunning killer. He killed with a random inability to contain his rage and wasn’t very smart. It felt very unrealistic that it took them so long to catch him. I also feel that they dragged out Davey running from Cudge for way to long and I was just glad for the book to be over.
Early on in the book, Saunders and Lori expressed their care for Davey and it was easy to predict that they would take him in at the end. I did not predict that Sara would die, but she was so unlikeable that I was glad.
The killer in the story was not a cunning killer. He killed with a random inability to contain his rage and wasn’t very smart. It felt very unrealistic that it took them so long to catch him. I also feel that they dragged out Davey running from Cudge for way to long and I was just glad for the book to be over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
Another hit for Fern Michaels. This is one of her books that stands by itself and is not one of a series. Lorrie Ryan is taking her nephew, Davey who is a hemophilic, on a camping trip while her sister Sara and brother-in-law Andrew go to Florida where Andrew is scheduled to testify in a murder trial. One of his students was killed and he had witnessed an altercation with an unknown man prior to his student being killed.
Lorrie took Davey to the Philadelphia Zoo and then headed for a campground to spend the night. Davey took a walk with his dog, Duffy before dinner. On his walk, he went by another spot where a couple was camped in a pop-up camper. Duffy started barking and checking out the camper which annoyed the man. He yelled and threw Duffy away from the camper. Davey and Duffy took off for Aunt. Lorrie's RV. Later, they ran across the couple burying a man by the pond. They ran with the man following them. Duffy ran to Aunt Lorrie's RV, but being slower, Davey hid in the man's camper. Before he can sneak out, the man cranked the top down, capturing Davey. The couple then got in the truck and drove off with Davey in the camper. No one knows where Davey is. How will he get free and will he find his way back to Aunt Lorrie?
Lorrie took Davey to the Philadelphia Zoo and then headed for a campground to spend the night. Davey took a walk with his dog, Duffy before dinner. On his walk, he went by another spot where a couple was camped in a pop-up camper. Duffy started barking and checking out the camper which annoyed the man. He yelled and threw Duffy away from the camper. Davey and Duffy took off for Aunt. Lorrie's RV. Later, they ran across the couple burying a man by the pond. They ran with the man following them. Duffy ran to Aunt Lorrie's RV, but being slower, Davey hid in the man's camper. Before he can sneak out, the man cranked the top down, capturing Davey. The couple then got in the truck and drove off with Davey in the camper. No one knows where Davey is. How will he get free and will he find his way back to Aunt Lorrie?
January 16, 2026
I couldn’t put it down and at times wanted to look away! I was so scared for little Davey but he comes out ok. The evil Cudge was so stupid and so were those within his circle of acquaintances along the way. Even some of the local cops didn’t seem very bright.
Little Davey was portrayed as smart for the most part, after all he kept eluding the evil Cudge! At the end of the book I was so disappointed in the father, he was a weak person all the way through the story but to just leave your kid and without much emotion, etc. was he so dependent on his wife that he was as dumb as Cudge?
I can’t even think about Davey’s Mother, what an unfeeling POS she was. She finds out her son is missing and doesn’t go to try to find him? She prioritized her husband over her young son? The story portrays her as smart but she gets run over by an airplane. I guess she wasn’t so smart after all.
And then the lack of police presence, really, a little boy is in danger, there are dead people surrounding this story and they don’t search the entire area or a nearby amusement park? And it seems there really isn’t a search party of any size? A lot of dumb stuff going on in this story but the adventure is goo.
Little Davey was portrayed as smart for the most part, after all he kept eluding the evil Cudge! At the end of the book I was so disappointed in the father, he was a weak person all the way through the story but to just leave your kid and without much emotion, etc. was he so dependent on his wife that he was as dumb as Cudge?
I can’t even think about Davey’s Mother, what an unfeeling POS she was. She finds out her son is missing and doesn’t go to try to find him? She prioritized her husband over her young son? The story portrays her as smart but she gets run over by an airplane. I guess she wasn’t so smart after all.
And then the lack of police presence, really, a little boy is in danger, there are dead people surrounding this story and they don’t search the entire area or a nearby amusement park? And it seems there really isn’t a search party of any size? A lot of dumb stuff going on in this story but the adventure is goo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2020
This is a thriller of a story. A young hemophiliac boy Davey, on a camping trip with his aunt, witnesses a murderer burying his victim and runs away when he is spotted. Dr. Lorrie Ryan, the aunt, becomes desperate when Davey does not return because he needs a daily dose of medication to keep his hemophilia under control. After several hours of searching with the police, she calls FBI agent Stuart Sanders for help. He comes at once, leaving Davey's parents in the hands of other FBI agents as they wait for Davey's father to give his testimony in a murder case. Davey unknowingly hides in the camper belonging to the murderer and, when they end up once again near the campground, Davey runs for the woods trying to escape again.
September 20, 2022
I usually really like Fern’s books but this one is something else. I felt really bad for the kid. Having a mother that really didn’t are for him and a father that was babied by the mother. Aunt Lorrie and FBI agent sanders was just stupid. Agent Sanders finds Davey’s shoe at the amusement park and instead of searching for the kid, he leaves and go to a crime scene of a dead woman. Then goes back to the campground and picked up Lorrie. They go to the amusement park but it is raining so they sit in the car. WTH!!! I barely finished this book because the characters just ticked me off. 2 stars it is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2022
Okay, I know that she is a bestselling author with many books under her belt. However, based on this book alone, I am not sure I would read another by this author. That being said, I did care very much about the characters. They are the reason I kept reading. The plot was very disjointed, and could have been expanded in so many interesting ways. It seemed as if I were reading a first draft. Fantastic characters, but the story was not fleshed out. Not something I would recommend, but not the worst book I have ever read.
October 2, 2022
I'm kinda new to reading books and this ruined my motivation. The story is so annoying and how it was written. All characters are so annoying. It's okay to have romance here but the way it was written is so cringe. The story may have potential if the characters were written well. I give it 3/5 coz I haven't read a fantastic story so far so I'm kinda generous for this one. Still it's not that worst, I think there are more terrible than this book, so some people may still appreciate this story. In my preference, this is annoying and cringey.
December 8, 2024
Someone gave me this book after buying it at a thrift shop. I don’t know this author but see she writes a lot so I knew it was either going to be really good or really really bad. Unfortunately, it was the latter but I stuck it out to the end. The characters were really two dimensional and cliche. I didn’t like the way the author would flip from one character’s POV to another almost within the same paragraph. It was really odd. And the end was just so so dumb. In brief, I won’t be reading any more books by this author.
July 23, 2018
This is an older book by author Fern Michaels but it was still an enjoyable read. The plot was a little weak at times and had some filler in it to make the reader want to skim through some parts, but it was overall a good read. The reader enjoys the antics of the characters and is able to predict much of the storyline, but the book is a good book, especially if you are in the midst of a book hangover and need something to move you past it. Not my favorite, but not bad either!
September 20, 2019
This was an older Fern Michaels novel but since I haven't read much of her, that's not an issue. This was a great book to read in between my projects for my graduate class. There was an interesting cast of characters: the self-involved parents, the overprotected son, the loving aunt, and the observant FBI agent. There was a great side story of the victimized teenage girl who is with a dirtbag older man. This was a good read!
Go Cards! L1C4!!
Go Cards! L1C4!!
August 16, 2025
Date review is written: 8-16-25
For the longest time I couldn’t remember the name of this book but thanks to ChatGPT I found it 30 years later! I remember really liking it. I was 24 at the time so maybe my taste wasn’t terribly refined because this book has some terrible reviews. But I’ll say this for it, I’m still thinking about it 30 years later so I gave it 3 stars. I felt so bad for the little kid!
For the longest time I couldn’t remember the name of this book but thanks to ChatGPT I found it 30 years later! I remember really liking it. I was 24 at the time so maybe my taste wasn’t terribly refined because this book has some terrible reviews. But I’ll say this for it, I’m still thinking about it 30 years later so I gave it 3 stars. I felt so bad for the little kid!
June 10, 2017
In this crazy world that we live in, the greatest fear for a parent is having a child go missing. No greater cruelty could befall a family when one of them has been taken by a monster. To see if Danny makes it home safe you'll have to read the book. So many twists and turns to keep you guessing and rooting to the end for his safe return. Definitely, a good read.
September 7, 2017
This book had an interesting cast of characters - the cold mom, the puppet dad, the overprotected but underloved boy, the fun loving aunt, and the sympathetic bodyguard. Then there's the pathetic sad teenaged girl involved with an older guy with an explosive temper. The tension and suspense build as the story develops.
September 26, 2023
This is one of my favorite books and I haven't read it in years. I loved it (as usual) and even thought some of the characters make me mad enough to scream, the ending made it all worthwhile. I find it fascinating when you're reading a story and people finally get the ending or life they deserve. Priceless!
October 20, 2025
Read 125 pages of this for book club. DNF. Life is too short to read garbage. First four chapters included: open door sex scene, ice cold/neglectful mother, vanilla father, innocent child with medical issue, abusive man, accidental murder, far-fetched disposal of body scene, loving aunt who doesn't supervise child, bad things happen. Terrible book. I do not recommend it.
May 16, 2017
I skimmed the last half of this book, not really reading it, just finding out how it ended. Too many unlikable characters. I love an author that can weave a tale that is fun to read or draw a character that is fun to hate. These were just unpleasant characters.
July 14, 2018
Picture Perfect
OMG, Fern Michaels! This book had the worst &
slowest start of all of your books! It was SO boring that I almost requested a refund. I persevered & finished, but could only rate it 2 stars because of the poor beginning.
OMG, Fern Michaels! This book had the worst &
slowest start of all of your books! It was SO boring that I almost requested a refund. I persevered & finished, but could only rate it 2 stars because of the poor beginning.
November 24, 2018
I was going to give this book 3 stars because of some ludicrous scenes in this book (can you say "help Timmy fell down the well") but truly by the end of the book I knew I had received 4 stars worth of entertainment. The plot gets very intense and nail biting. Definitely a good tense fun read.
November 6, 2019
I thought this book was a bit unbelievable ...I don’t have patience with a simpering woman who lets a man hit her, verbally abuse her, and is just a “bad” man as the little boy says....I didn’t finish this..
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