Counterfeit Son

The recommendation on the book for "ages 14 and up" should be observed.
Alphin is treating the serious, and disturbing, phenomenon of a serial abductor/killer of young boys (although she doesn't get too deep into this motives). The focus of the story is the boy who ran away and re-invented himself by pretending to be one of his alleged "Pop's" victims.

Although Elaine and her husband (and writing collaborator) did not have children, she taps astutely into the psychology of the protagonist and other teens and children. (From my perspective as a mother of five boys, she does a great job.)

The ending is at once surprising and inevitable, but never feels forced.

Wow, this is not for the fainthearted. A gritty, heartwrenching story of a boy (Cameron) who's been abducted, abused and living in terror while watching other boys be killed by his Dad. At the outset , the boy is looking for a home and life for himself, having escaped from the basement. He assumes the identity of one of the murdered boys (Neil) and attempts to convince the family that he is their long lost son. You are grabbed at the first line, and can't put it down. Full of suspense, twists and turns.
Must read for reluctant readers and guys who say they never read.

Counterfeit Son, the 2000 Edgar Award Winner, is a dark and disturbing story about a teenage boy, Cameron who was held captive and sexually abused for years by Pop. In addition, Cameron witnessed the abuse and murder of dozens of other young boys and was forced to help dispose of the bodies. While Pop was brutalizing the boys, Cameron would hide in the far corner of the dark basement behind a filing cabinet in an attempt to get as far away from the screams as possible. He would distract himself by reading the newspaper clippings about the missing boys Pop kept in the cabinet. This is how he learns everything about one of the missing boys, Neil Lacey, whom Cameron helped dig a hole for and bury beneath the dirt floor of the basement. show more When Pop is killed by the police, Cameron is finally able to escape his life of abuse and leave if far behind by assuming the identity of the missing Neil Lacey.

Pretending to be Neil, Cameron "returns" home to the Lacey house after being abducted six years earlier. His family is overjoyed at his return and are patient with the "lapses" in his memory and his episodes of "amnesia" - something they were told to anticipate by the police. Cameron becomes increasingly nervous that his charade will be discovered when he is continually unable to recall certain details and events that are crucial to Neil's identity. He is certain Neil's body will be discovered in the basement and identified during the investigation. Will he be arrested and charged for impersonating Neil Lacey? Will he be charged as an accomplice to the murder of all of those boys? show less

Teenagers love books about one of their own getting out of an abusive situation and this book fits the bill. It opens with a young man escaping the basement of a house where he had been beaten and locked up and where other boys had been buried. At the same time the police arrive and a shoot out ends in the death of the abuser, his father.

Cameron had plenty of time to read all the files his father kept on the other boys so when he was found he identified himself as Neil Lacey, one of the other victims. He chose this identity because the articles mentioned his family owned a sailboat and he liked to sail.

He seemed to be acclimating again to his family except for his perceptive and bitter sister. She and the younger brother had plenty to show more deal with after his disappearance. And then Pop's cohort, Cougar, was released from prison and is shaking him down with the threat of abducting his brother.

Will his family learn of his true identity? Or will he learn about his own real identity?

Good story. show less

I practically inhaled this book in ninth grade. I've since read it four times; there aren't a whole lot of books that can claim that. The story is brilliant, the character development is fascinating and the ending is incredible (though predictable to an adult me).

This book is a pretty captivating read for older children/ young adults. The plot is pretty dark and I would suggest it only for mature readers. The story is essentially about a boy who finds out his father is a serial killer. There's many twists and turns in the story and the boy eventually finds out his father was not really his father after all. The boy was kidnapped when he was a baby. The book is captivating while still addressing the identity crisis of the young man.

"The book Counterfeit Son basically talks about a child whose name is Cameron and whose father - Hank Miller is a murderer. His father abducts children and murders them if they do not obey to his command. Cameron is worried that his father will slay him too. Suddenly, a miraculous thing happens: his father is killed in a shootout with the police. Cameron takes this only chance: he takes on the identity of Neil Lacey, who has been kidnapped for more than six years. Neil's reappearance is suspected by the detectives. However his parents, the Laceys are thrilled. The loving Laceys take Cameron home and provide him with the best food and clothes, but this arouses his siblings' envy. At the same time, Hank Miller's friend, Cougar, is show more released from jail. He knows that Cameron is pretending to be Neil. He threatens him to get him valuable jewels or cash, otherwise he will tell the truth to the cops. Cougar even snatches Neil's little brother, Stevie in order to force Cameron to obtain the house key for him. When Neil struggles against Cougar to save Stevie, Neil's sister, Diana calls his parents and the detectives. When they come, the truth is finally exposed..." Excerpt from borders.com

I read this years ago (2002 maybe?) and could never get it out of my head. It was a really page turner and kept me in suspence.

Older readers may be able to figure out the ending within the first hundred pages, but it was good all the same. show less