Counterfeit Son

When serial killer Hank Miller is killed in a shoot-out with police, his abused son Cameron adopts the identity of one of his father's victims in order to find a better life. But when his father's old accomplice tracks him down, will Cameron give up his new identity to protect the victim's family?

some Secrets Are Too Dangerous To Keep.

cameron Miller Is Pretending To Be Someone He Isn't. When He Began Presenting Himself As Neil Lacey, It Was The Only Way He Could Think Of To Distance Himself From What Pop Had Done, To Finally Climb Out Of His Nightmarish Existence. He Thought It Would Be Easy--playing The Rich Kid, Sailing His Boat--but He Didn't Count On Cougar. Now Cougar, His Father's Old Accomplice, Has Tracked Cameron Down And Presented An Ultimatum: Share The Wealth Or Be Exposed. Will Cameron Give Up His New Identity To Protect Neil's Family? Or Will He Let His Search For A New Life Destroy Those Around Him?

about The Author:

elaine Marie Alphin Is Very Active In The Field Of Children's Literature. She Has Written Numerous Books For Young Readers And More Than Two Hundred Articles For Children's Magazines. Ms. Alphin Lives In Madison, Indiana.

publishers Weekly

cameron Miller's Pop Locked Him In The Cellar While He Beat To Death The Boys He Kidnapped--more Than 20 Boys Over The Years And Cameron, Too, Has Suffered At His Father's Hands. As This Gripping Novel Opens, The Police Have Finally Raided His Tennessee Home And Fatally Shot Pop. Cameron, Seeing A Chance At A Normal Life, Decides To Pass Himself Off As One Of Pop's Murder Victims And Claims He Is Neil Lacey, Missing For Six Years. Alphin (tournament Of Time) Builds The Pressure Masterfully, Describing Cameron's Constant Fear Of Being Found Out By The Laceys Or The Suspicious Police Detective. He Chokes Down Neil's Favorite Meals And Fumbles For The Answers To Old Family Riddles, All The Time Observed By His Hostile Sister, Who Resents The Effect That Neil's Disappearance And Rediscovery Has Had On Their Parents. The Tensions Accelerate To A Fever Pitch When Pop's Accomplice Cougar Shows Up, Threatening To Unmask Him If Cameron Doesn't Cooperate With Cougar's Crimes. The Author's Treatment Of Each Character's Psychological Wounds Is Also Impressive, And She Doesn't Skirt The Subject Of Dna Testing Or Other Forensic Refutation Of Cameron's Identity. Though Alphin Races Through The Conflicts A Little Too Quickly, She Achieves A Neat And Happy Ending; Readers Will Be Enthralled By Her Suspenseful Plot. Ages 14-up. (sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

After suffering at his father's hands, as well as being locked in the cellar while his father beat to death more than 20 boys over the years, Cameron sees a chance at normal life by passing himself off as one of his fathers' murder victims