Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Pretty Little Things

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
8
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron
8
1 Ratings
100
90
81
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Language
  
English

Pages
  
about 470 (paperback)

Originally published
  
4 February 2010

Country
  
United States of America

Preceded by
  
Plea of Insanity


Publication date
  
September 7, 2010

ISBN
  
978-0-00-731160-6

Author
  
Jilliane Hoffman

Publisher
  
HarperCollins

Pretty Little Things t2gstaticcomimagesqtbnANd9GcR4AXavoq4goT4B

Followed by
  
The Girl who cried Monster

Similar
  
Jilliane Hoffman books, Other books

Jilliane hoffman talks pretty little things


Pretty Little Things is a 2010 novel by Jilliane Hoffman. It was released in the USA on September 7, 2010, and deals with the topics of internet crime and missing and exploited children and is set in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area. In addition to the US release, the book has enjoyed a considerable success on the German market, titled Mädchenfänger, with a #5 rank among new novel releases.

Contents

Hoffman wrote the book based on her own professional experience; before her career as a writer, she worked in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement consulting with special agents.

Pretty little things


Plot summary

Thirteen-year-old Elaine Emerson, nicknamed Lainey, meets a boy on the internet while hiding behind a profile indicating her age as 16. She goes on a date with Zach, 17, nicknamed El Capitan, and never returns from the date. Special Agent Bobby Dees, head of the department's Crimes Against Children Squad, tries to find her.

Main characters

Zachary M. Cusano is the son of Violet and Thomas Cusano. He is the captain of the Jupiter High school football team, and arranges to go on a date with Lainey believing her to be 16. He is known as "El Capitan" throughout the book.

Elaine Louise Emerson, known as "Lainey" is the daughter of Debbie LaManna and the stepdaughter of Todd LaManna. She has a sister Liza and a brother Bradley. She has a Myspace account in which she lies about her age claiming to be 16 not 13. She arranges to go on a date with El Capitan, and fails to return.

Bobby Dees is an NYPD special agent in the novels equivalent of the missing children department. His own daughter went missing several years prior.

Debbie LaManna is Elaine's mother. She is constantly stressed, and considers her husband Todd's feeling over Elaine's.

Todd LaManna is Bradley's father, and Elaine's stepfather. He is a used-car salesman, and having an affair.

Molly is Elaine's best friend, and gives Agent Dees some insight at the beginning of the novel.

Liza is Lainey's 16 year old sister, and experiments with drugs and alcohol. She has run away from home at least once before.

Places and locations

The book is largely set at real-world locations. Elaine's former school is Ramblewood Middle School in Coral Springs, FL. Her new school is Sawgrass Middle School.

References

Pretty Little Things Wikipedia