Perfect Family: A Novel

Pony Carteret -- the lovely headstrong youngest member of the Carteret family -- has always been a strong swimmer. So when she is discovered drowned at the family's summer home on Lake Aral, Vermont, her red hair tangled in an anchor chain and her baby abandoned on shore, her family is stunned by disbelief.

As the police conduct their investigation, Jasper Carteret, the patriarch, calls an urgent family meeting. Had any of her siblings known that Pony would be at the house that day? Was she having personal problems, was she depressed? Had she ever revealed the true identity of her baby's father? Neither sister -- Tinker, the family caretaker, nor Mira, the moody, thoughtful one -- has any information, and ultimately the police rule the drowning an accident.

But William Carteret, Pony's older brother, can't accept the explanation that his favorite sister's death was an accident. Determined to uncover the truth, he eventually learns the disturbing fact that a stranger had been present at the house the evening Pony died. Who was this man, what was he doing at the house, and why hasn't he stepped forward? As William digs deeper, his investigations quickly lead him to a new and more daunting series of questions, not only about the mysteries in Pony's life but also about the shadowy details of his deceased mother's past and even his own. Before long, he has opened a Pandora's box of family secrets, including one dangerous fact his mother has kept hidden for a generation.

Pam Lewis's Perfect Family is a masterful, atmospheric tale about the ways in which family secrets, no matter how long they're buried, can wield their tremendous power.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Enjoyable Read, 2008-10-04
I enjoyed Pam Lewis' first book, Speak Softly, She Can Hear You, so I was excited to see she had a new book recently released.


In this novel, Perfect Family , 24- year old Pony telephones her oldest brother William, to the family lake house in Vermont. The two siblings have a disagreement and William leaves. Later Pony is found dead, drowned in the lake, with her infant left nearby. Pony's father assumes it was an accident, but William is not so sure, and he sets out to find out what really happened.

The author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep your interest. I did figure out how the story would end, but despite that, I'm still glad I read the book.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

An entertaining and intriguing read..., 2008-08-25
When a young single mother is found drowned at the family summer home, everyone is naturally stunned. Not only was Pony Carteret a strong swimmer, but she had left her year-old son Andrew alone on the lawn. Plus, she'd summoned her brother William to the home only hours earlier, on the pretense of having something important to tell him...which she never did.

In the aftermath of Pony's death, the Carterets struggle with both their grief and their confusion. What really happened in the water that evening? Who was little Andrew's father, and why didn't Pony ever name him? Of course, as the Carterets try to answer questions, they end up raising even more -- some which go back as far as many of them can recall, upending everything they thought they knew about themselves as a family and as individuals.

Originally, I picked up this book because the author sets much of it in West Hartford, CT, near my hometown, and it's always fun to read about real places you know well. I was pleased to find the book a well-written mystery on its own, full of three-dimensional characters I was interested in learning more about.

I'll be looking forward to reading another of Ms. Lewis' books!




0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Enjoyable read, though a bit too easy, 2008-08-11
I enjoyed this book. The character development is skillfully rendered, especially Tinker and Minerva. The men are less convincing. As for plot, there is suspense; however, who-done-it is predictable. Therefore, the remaining suspense is merely the plot's resolution: i.e., The reader knows; so how does this get played out? And that, for me, was enough.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

compelling reading, 2008-07-28
This was a book that I couldn't put down. The characters were real. The story was intriguing. My only complaint is that as a reader of mysteries, everything was so obvious. I never felt surprised when something was revealed.


8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Perfect Family is a Perfect Summer Book, 2008-07-23
I bought Perfect Family because it was on sale at my book club. I had never heard of the author or the title, just took a chance...kind of like "book roulette". Every once in a while my gambling pays off. This is one of those times. I could not put this book down. I stayed up WAY too late three nights in a row because I was so involved and wanted to find out whodunnit and why. The characters are all unique but interesting in their own ways (except for maybe Jasper, the father, he was kind of vague to me). We know at the beginning of the book that the youngest sister drowns, what we don't know is why or really how. It is a twisted and disturbing journey leading to the big finish. The end of the book is enlightening and well wrapped up. No loose strings hanging which is the mark of a good book in my eyes. If you are looking for a unique page turner for your summer vacation I can't recommend Perfect Family highly enough.

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