Look Again

When journalist Ellen Gleason finds a striking resemblance between a missing child on a postcard and the son she adopted two years before, her need to know the truth risks destroying every aspect of the life she loves. Short chapters add a mild sense of urgency to the pace of this fairly predictable story, which plods along until the final two-and-a-half hours, when it suddenly races toward an implausibly happy ending. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson's warm, precise voice enlists the listener's sympathy for Ellen, even in her most boneheaded, self-sabotaging moments, and also provides convincing accents for the secondary characters. The production includes a ten-minute interview with the author. A.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from February 16, 2009
Bestseller Scottoline (Lady Killer
) scores another bull’s-eye with this terrifying thriller about an adoptive parent’s worst fear—the threat of an undisclosed illegality overturning an adoption. The age-progressed picture of an abducted Florida boy, Timothy Braverman, on a “have you seen this child?” flyer looks alarmingly like Philadelphia journalist Ellen Gleeson’s three-year-old son, Will, whom she adopted after working on a feature about a pediatric cardiac care unit. Ellen, who jeopardizes her newspaper job by secretly researching the Braverman case, becomes suspicious when she discovers the lawyer who handled her adoption of Will has committed suicide. Meanwhile, Will’s supposed birth mother, Amy Martin, dies of a heroin overdose, and Amy’s old boyfriend turns out to look like the man who kidnapped Timothy. Scottoline expertly ratchets up the tension as the desperate Ellen flies to Miami to get DNA samples from Timothy’s biological parents. More shocks await her back home. Author tour.

April 27, 2009
Single mother and journalist Ellen Gleeson is unsettled by a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer that features a child disconcertingly similar to her adopted son. Curiosity compels her to investigate further, and as evidence spirals closer to the truth, Ellen's horror rises as she uncovers broken trails and untimely deaths that may or may not be related to her own situation. As skillful as Scottoline's thriller is, it is enhanced by Mary Stuart Masterson's performance. Her characterizations are distinct and evocative, her tone remains smooth, even while ratcheting up the tension and suspense. Listeners will be wholly absorbed by this moving story. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 16).