The Lost Boy

"The Lost Boy" is a masterpiece of atmospheric horror, showing what a good author can do with words to create a slowly building cauldron of suspense. Wilshire, CT looks like a picturesque, peaceful town to outsiders on the occasions they may stumble upon it. The locals don't particularly encourage that, of course, being insular and suspicious of new-comers. However, the town has a dark secret - the Corbett family; a family of bullies, outlaws and (it is whispered in the night) murderers. Ellen Wilder, rebounding from a tragedy on her life, buys the local paper and moves into Wilshire unaware of the buzzing hornets' nest she is walking into. When she decides to stir things up, she gets more than she bargained for. A new member of the Corbett clan had arrived that summer as well - calling himself Franny, he is enormous and ugly even by the Corbetts' standards and his presence is unsettling to everyone he meets. He seems to come and go frequently and no one is quite sure where he fits in or whose child he is. He has a huge scar on his neck. One night the police are called to the Corbett farm - James Corbett, the senior member of the family, is dead. He seems to have fallen out of a tree onto a pitchfork. This brings in the State Police in the person of Michael Chandler, recently returned to full duty after suffering a near-death experience and a long recuperation. Now he finds he sometimes has strange hunches that he isn't sure what to do with. Michael, Ellen and Franny find themselves drawn together in ways that are strange and unimaginable before the end of the book; and of course, James Corbett was neither the first nor the last body. I found myself quite unable to put this book down and, in fact, read it outside while sunning which melted the glue on the spine and now the cover is off it. Oh, well :-) You'll definitely want to read this one in the light of day as well!

After a few disappointing novels, Noel Hynd is back with a strong super creepy title. Reminiscent of Ghost, one of the best novels I have ever read, this book will keep you turning the paged till the wee hours of the morning. If you like ghost stories that will make your hair stand on end then this is the book for you.

What can I say, this book is one of the most moving, thought provoking books I have come across. I read it 2 years ago, and recommend it to anyone looking for a great read. I think Noel Hynd is an author who definately deserves more recognition.

My friend told me to read a book by Noel Hynd and she was right. This book was so good, I can't wait to read another one by this author. I loved the sad characters but I was glad there was a happy ending. I was scared the whole time I was reading the Lost Boy, but not scared enough to quite reading.

I admire all of Hynd's books, and this was no disappointment. Superb read by Hynd.