Invisible Boy
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4.0 • 15 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"Cornelia Read's darkest, most passionate, and most poignant book yet." --Tana French, New York Times Bestselling Author
The smart-mouthed but sensitive runaway socialite Madeline Dare is shocked when she discovers the skeleton of a brutalized three-year-old boy in her own weed-ridden family cemetery outside Manhattan. Determined to see that justice is served, she finds herself examining her own troubled personal history, and the sometimes hidden, sometimes all-too-public class and racial warfare that penetrates every level of society in the savage streets of New York City during the early 1990s.
Madeline is aided in her efforts by a colorful assemblage of friends, relatives, and new acquaintances, each one representing a separate strand of the patchwork mosaic city politicians like to brag about. The result is an unforgettable narrative that relates the causes and consequences of a vicious crime to the wider relationships that connect and divide us all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1990, Read s superb third Madeline Dare novel (after The Crazy School) finds the acid-tongued ex-socialite and her blue-collar husband, Dean, in Manhattan. A chance encounter with distant cousin Cate Ludlam introduces Madeline to Queens Prospect Cemetery, where Cate is in charge of the volunteer cleanup effort. While helping to clear weeds, Madeline unearths a small skeleton, which turns out to be that of three-year-old Teddy Underhill, reported missing months earlier. Accustomed to snooping around police investigations, Madeline hounds the lead detective in charge for answers, and soon learns that Teddy was a victim of regular physical abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. Read expertly evokes the New York City of the period, from the nearly palpable grime of Chelsea to disturbing undertones of racism and classism in the justice system. Equal parts toughness and vulnerability, Madeline is always a bracing heroine.
Customer Reviews
Wit and realism
Not your conventional murder mystery. A book about life and relationships that includes a character who stumbles across human remains. Witty conversations and laugh-out-loud repartee. Kind of like what it might be like if a regular person, like you or me (rather than a brilliant detective) discovered a murder and became involved in the search for answers. A warning, however: the descriptions of child abuse later in the book, while absolutely relevant to the story, are harrowing and disturbing.
The Invisible Boy
I won't read another Madeline Dare novel, and I regret reading this one. I couldn't identify with the characters or their rough language. Totally uninteresting. Why did I keep reading?! I kept hoping the promise of a true plot would kick in.