PositiveThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe horror and suspense that keep us watching the news when a real-life child goes missing is the same horror and suspense that keeps us turning the pages of this short, readable novel. In that sense, Lanny is a thriller and has enough mystery and pace to be finished in one or two sittings ... For all its suspenseful, page-turning readableness, Lanny aims to be more than just a psychological thriller ... [writerly] experiments might put off the reader searching for a suspenseful holiday yarn. That would be a shame, because it is suspenseful, satisfying, and not particularly difficult ... The novel has some interesting themes, some likeable and unlikeable characters, and a satisfying, unexpected ending. Plenty there for the thrillseeker ... But does it live up to its literary ambitions? ... At times it begins to feel claustrophobic, and a bit too easy. At times it falls into cliche ... the overall mood of the novel is heavy and unsettling—which, given the current mood of the country in which it’s set, might not be surprising.
