Justin Freeman and her parents move into a new neighborhood where
everything seems too good to be true. The people are all polite and
helpful; the neighborhood itself is clean and respectable; but the
owner, a doctor, is more than just any physician looking after the
health of his patients. He is actually an intelligent, manipulative
sadist who wishes to first test his experiments on the oblivious
citizens of Elysian Fields.
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The beginning delivered you right into the action and remained interesting throughout. Some supreme suspense is built in key parts, and the ending was a nice wrap-up. However I couldn't help not wanting the pace to pick up a bit at times. One irritation was that no one believed the girl but this isn't the novel's fault; it's a personal pet peeve of mind. The atmosphere of Perfect Little Angels is slightly ominous but clear-cut, and the plot itself is creative and overall well-executed.
The characters are not focused on evenly; Justine is the main heroine who comes across as a normal, likable teenager adapting to change. All people are pretty simple overall, which appeals to certain kinds of readers, while others may feel disappointed.
The boy kept in the house (won't offer spoilers) is probably the creepiest part of the story. He was an undeniably sad creature, and when he was shown in the story, it always threw me off track trying to figure out just WHAT his deal was. The pace is pretty even and most of the conflict starts at the beginning. Neidermans' trademark writing style is always clear and to the point, which enables faster reading and comprehension.
This can be enjoyed by all age levels, and what I consider "PG-13 horror." I give it 3 wheelchairs. Points deducted due to an at times slow pace that could have been rectified, the annoyance of no one believing Justine, and the semi-predictable tone.
