Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

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Look Again by Lisa Scottoline


Ellen Gleeson adopted her son, Will, almost two years ago. He was a patient in the cardiac intensive care unit at DuPont Hospital undergoing surgeries for a hole in his septum. Will's mother rarely visited and Ellen learned from Will's caseworker that adoption was a possibility. Ellen legally adopted Will with signatures from both his mother and father and with Will's heart repaired, they were living a happy life as mother and son. Then one day Ellen recognized a face on the white card she received in her mail entitled "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD?" A photo of young boy named Timothy Braverman had an uncanny resemblance to Will. The young boy in the photo had been abducted when he was only a year old. The photo provided was age processed to show what Timothy would look like at his current age. Disturbed by the similarities between the two boys, Ellen begins to investigate into the devastating possibility that the son she believed she legally adopted could be the missing son of two parents who are still desperately looking for him.
Look Again was a suspenseful drama about a mother’s search for the truth about her son’s past. Ellen adopted Will after all of his medical procedures were completed. She was with him through his recovery process and the two have become a family. Will is aware that Ellen is not his birthmother but is the only mother he has ever known. The possibility that Will may be the missing child Timothy Braverman is something that Ellen hides as she begins her investigations. Ellen’s career as a reporter has given her the tools she needs to investigate thoroughly but she battles with herself and what legally this could mean to her and Will if he was in fact kidnapped. The questions raised throughout the story test not only Ellen’s strength and love but her morals. If Will was in fact kidnapped then the adoption she thought was legal would have no bearing in court and Will would have to be returned.

Scottoline created an interesting story with complicated moral implications. Ellen was a well flushed out character whose motives were easily understandable. A mother is searching for the truth even if the results could negatively affect the rest of her life. This book started off slowly. The idea of the Will being kidnapped as an infant is brought up early and the research is painstaking. It took a lot for me to stay invested in the story initially. I was only fleetingly interested. It wasn’t until midway through the novel that the story really started to take shape and the implications clear. There was a lot more to the story than a simple kidnapping. As each layer was peeled back and the truth exposed I began to really enjoy the novel. I recommend it to anyone who likes thrilling drama. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The rating would have been higher if the novel started off with the bang it ended with. 

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