Bump in the Night (novel)

infobox Book |
name = Bump in the Night
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = 1st edition cover
author = Isabelle Holland
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = Doubleday
release_date = October, 1988
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages = 185 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-385-23891-6
preceded_by =
followed_by =

Bump in the Night is a 1988 novel of suspense by Isabelle Holland. It describes the abduction of a little boy by a child molester who is acting in concert with a producer of child pornography movies. It was later dramatised into a television movie in 1991, starring Christopher Reeve and Corey Carrier.

Plot summary

Alcoholic divorcee Martha Tierney wakes up to answer the telephone. It's the headmistress ringing her to say that her son has not come to school. Martha cannot even remember what day it is.

8-year-old Jonathan had a call the night before from his dad Patrick, Martha's ex-husband, and the two have arranged a secret meeting at a donut shop at 8am. Jonathan leaves the house early and stops by a neighbour who tells him that the chosen doughnut shop is closed and he'll have to meet in the next street.

Jonathan, who is a beautiful child with reddish blond hair, has been stalked for several days by Lawrence Miller, a former professor who lost his job after child molestation charges. When Patrick doesn't show at the doughnut shop, Lawrence pretends to be a friend of his father's and entices him off to the zoo then on to an apartment that doubles as a film studio for child pornography movies.

Patrick, Martha, the neighbours and the investigating detective Sergeant Mooney all pull together to hunt for the little boy. Jonathan is a brave kid and has to use all his courage and resourcefulness to escape the sexual abuse that he knows is coming.

ee also

*List of books portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors
*List of films portraying paedophilia or sexual abuse of minors

External links

*imdb title|0101520|Bump in the Night (TV movie)