Description:
When a plane carrying Scott O'Toole to a rock concert in Salt Lake City crashes in the Utah mountains, the resourceful teenager manages to make it to what looks like safety--a cabin owned by a mysterious, heavily armed man who may be the protected government witness he says he is--or a killer whose presence in the area has more to do with a planned political assassination. Meanwhile, Scott's divorced parents are dealing with his predicament very differently. Sherry O'Toole, a bestselling self-help author, seems more concerned about her public image and refighting her acrimonious divorce than using her celebrity to focus attention on her missing son, while Brandon O'Toole, who won custody of the boy, is desperately trying to convince the authorities that Scott, who is trained in survival, should not be given up for dead. This is a thrilling, chilling mystery from a writer whose abilities to create believable, authentic teenage characters have marked his other novels, notably Nathan's Run. But Sherry is little more than a cartoon figure, whose ambivalence in the face of her son's catastrophe is unbelievable, and Brandon, while a much more sympathetic figure, is hardly more real. Despite these flaws, Scott Free is a compelling read, with excellent pacing and a narrative that drives to a thunderous conclusion. --Jane Adams
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