The Lost Boys: A Decker/Lazarus Novel

Written by Faye Kellerman

Narrated by Mitchell Greenberg

Faye Kellerman returns with an atmospheric, face-paced mystery set in bucolic upstate New York, full of unexpected twists and turns that build to a shocking and surprising end—the latest thrilling entry in her New York Times bestseller Decker/Lazarus series.

When Bertram Telemann, a developmentally disabled man, goes missing from a local diner near Greenbury, the entire community of the small upstate New York town volunteers to search the surrounding woods in hopes of finding him. High functioning and independent, Bertram had been on a field trip with the staff and fellow residents of the Loving Care Home when he vanished. 

When no trace of the man is found, the disappearance quickly becomes an official missing persons case and is assigned to detectives Peter Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams. As their investigation deepens, the seasoned Decker becomes convinced that Bertram hadn’t lost his way, but had left with someone he knew. Soon Decker discovers that Elsie Schulung, a recently fired nurse who had worked at the home, seemed to be especially interested in Bertram. But answers proves elusive when Elsie disappears and human blood is found in her kitchen. 

But the complications are only beginning. While combing the woods, searchers discover the remains of one of three young men who had vanished during a camping trip. And for Decker, personal problems are adding pressure as well. After a ten-year absence, the biological mother of Decker’s and Rina’s foster son, Gabriel, has suddenly appeared in New York, children in tow, wreaking emotional havoc on the young man.

Juggling the personal and professional, a hot case and a cold case, Decker and McAdams race to find answers, sifting through cabinets of old files, a plethora of clues and evidence, and discouraging dead ends. As on-going searches for Bertram and the campers’ missing remains continue, the frustrated detectives begin to wonder if the woods will ever give up its dark secrets . . . and if these intertwining cases will be solved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9780062910486

Faye Kellerman

Faye Kellerman lives with her husband, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman, in Los Angeles, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews for The Lost Boys

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A Morman computer programmer and his family move to a new town. They all have difficulty fitting in, but one of their sons has a particularly difficult time. He starts telling stories about imaginary friends. Creepy and depressing.

Even as a teenager, I could tell that the main character was a sort of authorial stand-in. The characterization is precise and believable, but the character's actions are just a little off. There are a few too many exchanges that read as wish-fullfillment, where the main character is oh-so-reasonable and erudite and godly and his opponents are so very prejudiced and unreasonable. It annoyed me when I read it, but I was caught up in the story (and additionally, wasn't aware of how closely Card's life mirrored the main character's). Looking back, it's both a serious weakness of the novel and one of the reasons the story works. Because Card identified so closely with the main character, the point-of-view is kept very narrow, and the mystery is able to build just out of conscious sight.

[judiex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While on an outing with a group from a residence for developmentally disabled adults, one of them, Bertram Lanz, disappeared. No trace of him was found so detectives Peter Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams were assigned to continue the search.Decker quickly decides that Lanz left the group voluntarily, possibly with a former staff member.As the search for him continues, though, one of them finds remains from one of three young men who had disappeared ten years earlier.In addition, Gabriel (Decker and Rena Lazarus’s foster son) is contacted by his mother, for the first time in a decade. She’s in New York with her two other young children and is in trouble. Rena plays a larger role in THE LOST BOYS than she has in the past few books in the series. While intertwined, each thread is handled separately. The ending is rushed and promises major changes in Peter & Rena’s life though the way it starts does not seem realistic. Most religious references refer to food.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 StarsI haven't read this author or this series in years sod I jumped at the chance to read this ARC. I remembered how much I loved the earlier books in this series. With this book, I swear I'm going to re-read the ones I own and buy the rest!It is nice to see an author who has written 26 books in a series show that her characters age. So with this book, Peter is (I think) 70. His character has slowed down, but that doesn't mean the mysteries have become less complicated. I was amazed at how much went on in this book. It was more footwork and questioning and less action, but that is okay with me.This book deals with one ten-year-old killing, one missing person case, and an issue with Peter and Rina's foster son and his mother.I thought for sure that this would be the last book in this series, for reasons I won't go into because they would be spoilers. But the last few pages make me think this is not so, and this book actually ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Because I've been away from this series for so long, this may be the norm for Ms.Kellerman now.I really enjoyed this book, and as I said at the beginning of this review, I am now going to take the time to read the books I have and buy and read the ones I don't have.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought I’d missed no more than a handful of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series but this is Kellerman’s 26th book featuring the couple and I’ve only read just over half, the last of which was book #22, Murder 101. Thankfully however this seems to matter little, aided in part because Kellerman ages her characters in real time.In The Lost Boys, Decker and his partner Tyler are called in when a man disappears while on a field trip with a group from a local care home. In searching the woods nearby, a body is found in a shallow grave, but this man has lain there for at least a decade.With his customary doggedness, Decker attacks both investigations. The missing man is his initial priority, with growing concerns that he has been targeted by because of his parent’s wealth. When blood is found at the home of a nurse that may be connected, Decker fears the worst, but despite his best efforts the case soon stalls. Unexpectedly Kellerman employs a cliffhanger of sorts in this instance, though the missing man is eventually located, the circumstance spawns another mystery. In the second investigation, the remains prove to belong to one of three young college men who disappeared while on a camping trip. The damage to his skeleton suggests that he had been shot, and Decker wonders if he is looking for the bodies of his two companions, or if the two men may have killed the third and gone on the run. Investigating a ten year old cold case is a difficult task, but thorough police work results in an important break. In general I liked how this case played out, however one flaw I had difficulty overlooking was an emphasis on a shovel being out of place on a camping trip. Perhaps Faye has never been camping because I wouldn’t consider it at all strange that campers have a shovel, a digging implement is essential when there are no bathrooms.While Decker is busy with police work, Rina is offering moral support to their foster son, Gabe whose biological mother has suddenly returned to the States with Gabe’s half siblings. It’s clear Terry is in trouble and Gabe is torn when she asks for his help, but it seems inevitable he will be drawn into the mess she has got herself into.With this, and the unanswered questions of the first investigation, Kellerman has laid the foundation the next book in the series, though I think it’s clear that it’s end is creeping closer. Peter is seventy or thereabouts and is making plans for his retirement from the force, but there are hints, I think, that Tyler could take up the mantle.Kellerman offers up two well paced, and involving mysteries in The Lost Boys, but as a fan it’s the opportunity to catch up with Peter, Rina and their family that I enjoy the most.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lot of unexpected twists and turns here, combined with Decker and Lazarus aging and continuing on their lives' paths. Loved the sensitive and respectful depiction of developmentally delayed adults. Really intrigued to see where the series goes from here.

advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lost Boys is a story about a ten year old case regarding the disappearance of three college students. It accidentally found itself on Peter Decker's lap without his even looking for it. There are other disappearances also that must be figured out. Unfortunately, the story leaves us, that is the reader, in limbo, as the book ended too soon. All of the situations are believable. The characters are also believable. It is a good suspenseful story hence the four stars awarded in this review.

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Can't remember much now, but it was OK.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series never disappoints, great characters and a good storyline

[wickenden-285487 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked this book by Card. I read it last when I was a religiously active Mormon, and I found it profoundly moving. I do think Card is a good story-teller, but I'm not sure he's a writer after my taste. This is one of those read-it-in-two days books that you can't put down. I find that the sort of book I want to read and re-read requires a bit more of me.

This story jumps right in and uses the language of Mormonism in such a way, without calling attention to itself, that it makes me wonder how much the average reader will get. There's an interesting picture of LDS life portrayed behind the gruesome details of the missing boys.

[gmomaj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a tough read due to the subject matter, but an outstanding book.For Step Fletcher, his pregnant wife DeAnne, and their three children, the move to tiny Steuben, North Carolina, offers new hope and a new beginning. But from the first, eight-year-old Stevie's life there is an unending parade of misery and disaster.Cruelly ostracized at his school, Stevie retreats further and further into himself -- and into a strange computer game and a group of imaginary friends.But there is something eerie about his loyal, invisible new playmates: each shares the name of a child who has recently vanished from the sleepy Southern town. And terror grows for Step and DeAnne as the truth slowly unfolds. For their son has found something savagely evil ... and it's coming for Stevie next.I'm a tremendous fan of Mr. Card and several years ago I got to spend some time talking to him. When I told him how much Lost Boys had reached me, he said that it was one of his favorites.I recently purchased the audio version from CHIRP!

[sean191 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The more I read of Orson Scott Card the more I think he just figured out how to game the system. In the Lost Boys, his story is pretty simple - boys disappearing, job struggles, family move. But the boys disappearing barely pops up in the story for the first 3/4 of the novel. Instead, it's a weird cast of characters introduced to get the reader wondering who did it. Except from very early on, it was too obvious who did it. And then the ending was just there to manipulate reader emotions to save the wreck of the rest of the book. Only reason I gave it a three star is because I cared enough to be upset. But then, if I wasn't a parent and didn't get the understanding of the attachment, maybe it would have been more like a 2 star.

[gac53 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book left me with mixed feelings. The story seemed to slow moving, lots of random things happen in the life of the main family of characters, emotional toward the end but left so many loose ends.

[aprilbrown_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Decided not to read. Apparently his attempt to write a horror novel, and I just couldn’t read it currently.

[snukes-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I prefer Card when he stays out of the realms of spiritual (Lost Boys, Treasure Box) and sticks with Sci-Fi. The ending was well done and very touching, but I agree with the reviewer who said the book was too long. His author's note says it started out as a short story, and while the ending may not have been as powerful that way, you probably wouldn't have missed much.

[flanneryac · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love most of what Orson Scott Card writes, despite my repulsion towards several of his personal beliefs and quotations. However, this one really tested my waters more than his sci-fi works. It was interesting to learn more about how Mormons live day-to-day, but extremely frustrating how every part of the book was laced with religion and every choice every person made was motivated by religion.

Also, I became annoyed pretty quickly at the fights between the husband and wife. Maybe this is because I was listening to a male narrator portray both characters and, understandably, the fighting was a little bit whiny. Either way, I wanted more substance to the fights--it isn't realistic to me that every fight goes nowhere and that people forgive within five minutes and call back to apologize and tell you they love you...brb...okay, I'm back from answering a phone call where someone told me I am always right and they love me.

I'm sure I am not the only one to say this, but HELLO, Bappy is a creep show from the get-go. And in a "not so huge" town, 7 boys disappearing is HUGE news. OSC is trying to tell me that every person in town was not having at least one conversation about the missing kids EACH DAY? I think not. They should've made the connection to Stevie's friends' names about four months earlier. And the Bappy thing--well, don't get me started.

I liked listening to the book, as usual for OSC's work, but this one just didn't do it for me. 2.5 stars.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

audiobook from the library - Not bad, but not really my cup of tea. But then at the end there was a short interview with OSC, in which he said it wasn't his cup of tea either. I think that made me like it more. It's a little heavy on computery stuff that I don't understand because it takes place before I was born, but I did catch a few of the jokes about everyone hating IBM but knowing that it was the future. It was also a bit heavy on the Mormonism, but I thought that was more interesting.I liked the plot, though it was pretty slow at first. The characters who were supposed to evoke reactions in the reader did so. The twist was good, though it was partly spoiled for me by reading the tags on the work page. I won't spoil it here; I'll just say that OSC is great at blending reality and fantasy seamlessly.All-in-all, I recommend it, but I wish it had been shorter.

[tibobi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Short of It: A touching, moving, all-around great read. A perfect package. The Rest of It: Set in the early 80′s, Step Fletcher and his wife DeAnne move to Steuben, North Carolina to begin his new job as a technical writer. With them, are their three kids, Stevie (7), Robbie (4) and their toddler sister Elizabeth. DeAnne and Step are expecting baby number four and life looks promising. Except, that the job isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and Step’s real passion is designing video games. Having previously been self-employed, Step finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. You see, he’s been hired as a tech writer, yet his real job is to audit code behind his boss’ back which is really, an impossible situation to be in. On the home front, DeAnne is trying to find her place in this new neighborhood, and since they are of the Mormon faith, they are immediately accepted into their new ward. However, that’s not as perfect as it sounds, as this particular ward has some colorful characters who set out to make things difficult for the Fletcher family. Stevie has an increasingly hard time in school and cannot seem to find his place. The house they live in is plagued by insects (no one knows why) and there is the quite a bit of debt hanging over them all, which forces Step to work in a place that he truly hates. This novel is classified as a horror story, and I must say, it took quite a bit of time for the horror to sink in but when it did, it took my breath away. It’s not the type of horror that is obvious. It’s the slow realization that something is desperately wrong. While the Fletchers try to settle into their new life, little boys begin to disappear one by one and then it becomes obvious to both DeAnne and Step that Stevie is not quite right. I loved this novel so much that I turned right around and listened to it on audio. The audio version is read by Stefan Rudnicki who is absolutely fabulous. I’ve never read anything by Orson Scott Card so I had no expectations while reading this book but I don’t think it could have been more perfect. You must read or listen to this book and then tell me what you think of it. Since it was originally published in ’92, the references to computers and video games is quite dated, but since I work in technology, where everything becomes outdated in just three months’ time, I found this to be quite entertaining. Also, don’t let the religious undertones scare you away. The Mormon faith plays a big role in this novel, but it’s not preachy in any way.

[israel3david3n · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found it a hard read. What was supposed to be the main thread of the story (ghosts, horror, evil) was for most of the book extremely well hidden behind a layer about the hardships of moving, balancing life and family - and most of all - an extra-strength dose of how great it is to be a Mormon.The only reason I read all the way through is that I wanted to be able to justify writing a review here (my first)

[bookmarque · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Good premise, but would have worked better as a short story. And if the world hadn't already seen The Sixth Sense. Alas, I now know WAY more about Mormons than I ever wanted to.

[radaghast_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I should love this book. Card is my favorite author. This is widely regarded as one of his greatest novels. Why couldn't I get into it? Even I'm not quite sure. The writing is suberb, as always. It just felt like the novel was building and building to something that was taking far too long to reach. I kept feeling like this was an interesting insight into the life of a family, but when was something amazing going to happen? By the time it did, I was no longer on board.

[hredwards · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book. Interesting, not what I expected.Thought I had it figured out, but still surprised me.

[hippielunatic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the few books granted a rating of five that I will never read again. Damn you, OSC, for being able to draw me in so completely.This is a story that allows the reader to see a family's life, the small details that might seem unconsequential, the large issues that most would like to keep covered, the love and the frustration that comes from having so close a connection with other humans. It wraps you up in the relationships, and it ends up ripping out your heart.Be forewarned, as I was, when my husband read it first, finished it, and came to me with tears in his eyes. Read it anyway, as I did. It is worth it.

[bibliostuff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating and disturbing tale.

[crewman_number_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the suspense and twists in this book. Like all his works, it is very creative and original. I never find myself comparing him to other authors.