Extraordinary Acclaim for AFTER ETAN

 
"Fascinating, engaging, and well-written" 

"...Lisa R. Cohen’s AFTER ETAN is a complex, many-tentacled account of just how tantalizingly close Mr. Ramos has come to incriminating himself in the Patz case and just how tirelessly he has tormented prosecutors...

...In a book loaded with evidence of Mr. Ramos’s pedophilia, his attraction to Etan, knowledge of the Patz family and capacity to dispose of a child-size body, Ms. Cohen makes a persuasive case that Mr. Ramos was involved. But her emphasis is less on his actions than it is on the winding, obstacle-strewn path to justice. She tells a story that is stranger than crime fiction and messier too.

...Mr. Ramos became the prime target for Stuart GraBois, the former federal prosecutor whose actions are at the heart of the book, and whose dedication to the Patz case was boundless. This is the part of the story newly revealed by AFTER ETAN: how Mr. Ramos and Mr. GraBois became virtual characters on a chessboard, each making moves to outsmart the other in a difficult, protracted, suspenseful game. The book’s range extends from the jurisdictional issues raised by the case (Mr. GraBois, as a federal official, might have had to abandon his investigation if Mr. Ramos turned out never to have taken Etan Patz out of New York) to personal an imus and the tough cat-and-mouse maneuvers used to ensnare this suspect...."

"AFTER ETAN  3 1/ stars out of 4
On May 25, 1979, 6-year-old Etan Patz vanished while walking to his school-bus stop in Manhattan. He was never found. In this gripping account of the case, Cohen reveals the 30-year battle waged by prosecutors and Etan's parents, Stan and Julie, to bring charges against suspect Jose Ramos, a convicted child molester. Though never criminally charged, Ramos -- to whom Stan still sends photos of Etan inscribed "What did you do to my little boy?" -- was found legally responsible in an '04 civil trial. A chilling fact: He could get parole in 2012"

"AFTER ETAN.... is a heartbreaking story, scrupulously researched, well-constructed and well-written, and one that I probably would not have read if I had not been asked to do so. I’m really glad I did, because once I started I became totally engrossed in this compelling detective story...

...Lisa R. Cohen, an Emmy-winning TV producer, has created a real - life thriller, which kept me up long past midnight and all the late late-night shows. In astonishing and sometimes deeply disturbing detail, she depicts the anguish of Etan’s family, the agonizing search for his abductor, and the dogged determination of a variety of law-enforcement officials ...Over the years, this quest for justice took mesmerizing twist s and turns and involved psychics, mystics, mediums, bloodhounds, FBI profilers, and volunteers, along with crazy phone calls and messages, imp ostors, a truculent babysitter, endless false hopes, false leads, and gut-wrenching grief....

....As with any good story, to divulge some of the grisly, perplexing details and the ending would be grossly unfair. Of course it can be found a cl ick away on Google, but for mystery devotees I suggest heading straight to the bookstore a nd then sitting down with this haunting tale. Author Lisa R. Cohen, who conducted her first interview with Ramos 18 years ago and spent the last five reliving this case, sees her work as an “inspirational story,9 D one of overcoming, and moving on—a tale of heroes, and she’s right, it is...

AFTER ETAN would make a terrific movie—in this instance truth truly is more bizarre than fiction—"

"This powerful work plunged me back in time to a moment that haunts me to this day. Then step by compelling step it walked me thirty years forward, filling in the mysterious gaps of this celebrated case.  Finally the book left me, in the present, cheering on its heroes.

For those who will never forget Etan’s smiling face, the book answers many questions. For the rest of you, welcome to an ongoing page-turner so full of plot twists, it often reads like a fictional thriller. Except it’s all true.  This is former “60 Minutes” producer Lisa Cohen’s first book, but hopefully not her last."

"I really didn’t know what I was in for when I picked up this book. Would it be a horrifying, gut-wrenching book that would leave me in a puddle? Would it be a story I would abandon, or would regret reading?

Not at all. Author Cohen’s careful, factual, well researched, very tightly written rendition of Etan Patz's disappearance and the painstaking, decades-long efforts to find him carried me through the story...The last two-thirds of it read like a John Grisham legal thriller, only well written, and with enough weird characters for eight Grisham books.

The author’s clear and simple explanations of complex legal maneuvers fascinated and impressed me. And the actions of that prosecutor - Stuart GraBois - had me cheering and provided a much-needed elevation of my opinions of prosecutors generally."     

"When our son, Adam, was abducted in 1981, my wife, Revé, and I felt no one could really understand what we were going through. Then we met Julie and Stan Patz and found that we were members of a horrible but exclusive club.  Their courage inspired us then and inspires us now.  Reading AFTER ETAN, made me even more grateful for dedicated public servants like the incredible prosecutor who ultimately produced some measure of justice for Etan.  Every American needs to know Etan's story."     

“An engrossing account of a watershed missing-child case...

…The author tells the complete, heartbreaking story, from day one of the boy’s disappearance to his family’s continuing efforts to bring a rapist and killer to justice. First-time author Cohen, who covered the case for 60 Minutes and PrimeTime Live, admirably avoids a hysterical approach to the shocking subject matter. Instead, she lets the disturbing facts speak for themselves. The author had access to an astounding amount of information, including multiple interviews with Patz’s parents and former chief prosecutor Stuart GraBois…

...A masterful combination of deep human interest and detailed criminal investigation into a parent’s worst nightmare."

“In the first-ever book on this celebrated case, Lisa Cohen finally gives us the answers behind the most vexing child kidnapping since the Lindbergh Baby. It’s a harrowing portrait of a family's grief and an engrossing detective story. A powerful lesson in humanity tested and triumphant.”

“The story of the disappearance of Etan Patz is a story that almost everyone remembers the beginning of and only a handful of people know the end of. For the first time, Lisa Cohen finally unravels a complex and tangled mystery while seamlessly telling the heart wrenching story of a family trying to cope with every parent’s worst nightmare. The vivid descriptions and the incredible detail make you feel like you are there every step of the way. The book pulls you in. It can be painful at times and still, you can’t put the book down.”

"...although this book chronicles the Etan Patz case, it's almost more about what happened because of the case: Because of Etan's disappearance, parents everywhere got a wake-up call about sexual predators. Because of his parents' ability to turn their own grief into something worthwhile, systems and laws were created that better protect and serve children. Because of young boys who bravely told their stories, a monster is behind bars. What started with man's inhumanity to man (although we don't know exactly what happened to Etan, we can assume it was nothing good) grew into something powerful, something important. It may have been too late to save Etan, but those whom he inspired have worked tirelessly to bring justice for all abused children. And that's what this story is really about...

...AFTER ETAN is certainly raw, it's definitely graphic, but it's also powerful and compelling. It's really a tribute to the dedication of law enforcement professionals, the bravery of victims courageous enough to speak out, and the plight of grieving families who allow their lives to be doubly torn apart in pursuit of justice. The fact that this book was published at all speaks volumes about the ability of one child to slip under our skin and into our hearts, pushing us harder to protect the most vulnerable among us - our children."

“Lisa Cohen has done remarkable reporting in this thorough account of a family's terrible loss and the epic pursuit of justice that followed.  AFTER ETAN has the gripping realism of  “Law and Order,” intensified by the knowledge that this harrowing case study is true.”

“...Lisa R. Cohen has written an unqualified masterpiece. She tells the tale of Etan Patz — the face on the milk carton — with such heart and soul that you have no doubt this is a story she was destined to tell. For the Patz family. For readers of True Crime. But more importantly to remember a little boy lost so long ago. You don’t want to miss AFTER ETAN: The Missing Child Case That Held America Captive...”

“May 25th, National Missing Children’s Day, recognizes thousands of children.  Yet in reality, May 25th celebrates the life of one little boy, 6-year-old Etan Patz of New York, taken on May 25, 1979.  AFTER ETAN is a powerful, extraordinary, true story about Etan, his courageous family, the drifter who changed their lives forever, and one tireless, tenacious prosecutor who never gave up in his quest for justice.

AFTER ETAN takes one back to the beginnings of a movement.  It is the story of one child, whose photo taken by his photographer father became a symbol for millions and helped change the way America responded to missing child cases.  It is the story of a heart-broken family who lived through the anger and anguish that too many families must endure, and whose courage and grace helped change the world.  And it is the story of a remarkable prosecutor for whom one case, one child became his life’s work.”

“Lisa Cohen is an outstanding writer with a compelling story that effectively educates the reader about the kidnapping death of Etan Patz in NYC… The book gives a better understanding of how the Patz case resulted in the creation of many law enforcement child safety programs, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Megan’s law, and AMBER Alerts, among others. As in all good books, we need a “hero” and clearly that person is former Federal Prosecutor Stuart GraBois whose dedication to duty and humanitarian concern for the Patz family has been a true inspiration to the entire law enforcement community.”

"One of the most publicized missing child cases in America...this tragic tale is a standout."

"...Lisa R. Cohen's encyclopedic account of the case in AFTER ETAN: The Missing Child Case That Held America Captive, marking its 30th anniversary, finds that a few rays of light have worked their way out from this dark chapter in New York's underlife..."