Off the Face of the Earth

Ms. Harmetz won me over with her book on The Making of The Wizard of Oz. It was with some hesitation that I bought OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH not because I doubted Ms. Harmetz's talents, but because it sounded so much like the book STILL MISSING. There are so many child-in-peril books on the market, and I was skeptical. WAS I EVER SURPRISED! Even thinking about it now has raised goose pimples on my arms and shivers down my back. It is non-stop suspense and the psychopath Denver keeps you on the edge with his volatile personality. All the characters are well done and you find yourself becoming involved in the story and praying along with Drew that her son is still alive. I only wish Ms. Harmetz would've given us more insight into Denver other than the small introduction at the beginning when he and David meet at the Mall. I for one like to know what makes people tick and why they adopt certain behaviors. Please Ms. Harmetz--do NOT sell this to Hollywood. They will ruin one of the best stories I've read in a loooooooooooooooong time.

This isn't your usual story of a runaway child, it's much more than that. The characters are so fully developed that the reader actually sees inside their minds. We see their actions, their emotions, their fears. A mother with a missing child, not every giving up on finding him. A psychopathic killer who loves and hates this child at the same time. And David, the child possessed with deadly fear but profound ingenuity and spunk to make sure he was found. No, this is not just another kidnapping story, this is thriller writing at its best. Read it!!!

Aljean Harmetz has proven with OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH that all of her years of going to movies and writing about them have not dulled her literary sensibility, but have probably enhanced it. This is a book that digs into the deepest fears of parents, but also gives a child credit for being smart, resourceful, and interesting, something that one encounters rarely in thrillers about children in peril. Also, the story is very much rooted in a sense of place, with details that makes the reader feel as if one could visit Sherwood and know its streets and malls. This should be a movie, but even if it isn't, the movie in the reader's head has staying power way beyond the usual "summer read."

From the moment I started reading this book I knew it was going to be one of those you can't put down. Throughout the entire story, you're on the edge of your seat as the little boy's kidnapper makes you wonder whether he's just desperate or completely insane. You'll get to know the family in the author's eyes and find yourself worrying along with the mother. It'll make you gasp, it'll make you cry, it'll make you smile. But most of all, it'll make you want to read it again

Without a doubt, "Off the Face of the Earth" is one of the most gripping novels I have ever read. Denver's twisted mind as he kidnaps David is unbelievably compelling. And David's mother, Drew, as a single parent, is portrayed in a very realistic and candid manner. If you have not read this book, it will be well worth your while to go out and pick it up; you will not be disappointed