Missing Mom by Lynn Slaughter!

Believe it or not, it wasn't the cover that had me picking this one up. It was the blurb, and if that stays true to the plot, than the title says everything. This one is about a teen girl, whose mother suddenly goes missing. There should be some family drama involved, and the difficult theme of family abuse will be popping up too. It's been getting good reviews, and since I haven't tackled a mystery along these lines in a long time, I wanted to give it a go.

Let's see how intense this one gets.

MISSING MOM

by Lynn Slaughter

Fire and Ice Young Adult Books

YA Mystery

292 pages

COMING...

JANUARY 14th!!!

Devastated by her mom’s sudden disappearance and the evidence pointing to suicide, seventeen-year-old Noelle, an aspiring ballet dancer, doesn’t believe her mom would ever have taken her own life. She undertakes her own investigation to find out what really happened to her mother.

Meantime, Noelle is dealing with growing romantic feelings for Ravi, her best friend and fellow dancer. And she’s worried about her little sister, Whitney, who won’t talk about why she doesn’t want to visit their dad.

Threaded throughout the novel is also the story of Savannah, a young woman whose escape from an abusive marriage nearly two decades earlier turns out to be connected to Noelle’s investigation.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

Mystery mixes with thrilling moments, a quick pace, and more than a few triggers to create a deep and grabbing read.

Noelle is in the middle of dance class, when she's suddenly pulled to the side with the news that her mother never picked her younger sister up as scheduled. Since her mother never misses anything, Noelle knows something is up. When her step-father and dad are finally in the loop, it becomes clear that something is very wrong and the police are pulled in. But the police don't seem to be getting anywhere. Noelle refuses to let things lie and does her best to find out where her mother is... or if she's still alive. But her digging takes unexpected turns, and these expose a dark side Noelle could have never guessed existed.

First off, there are quite a few triggers in this read (domestic abuse, pedophilia, tendencies toward suicide, and more). These are handled well and don't go into huge detail. They do, however, have a tendency to suddenly pop-in and surprise. Still, they meld into the tale flow well and simply make this a much more serious read than I first expected it would be. 

That said, while reading the first chapter or so, I did wonder if this would be good for middle graders (obviously not after hitting the above triggers), since the writing creates a quick, easy read which flows right along. There isn't as much 'depth' as often found in YA reads and several plot twits were easy to see coming. Yet, the characters pack heart and are very sympathetic, making it no problem to be drawn into the tale all the way to the end. The tight writing turns into a strength, bringing across every moment with the potency it needs to propel the plot forward and keep those pages turning.

There's quite a bit to digest in during this story, and the mystery is thrilling. In other words, I can recommend this one to mystery fans, who enjoy tough issues along the way.

And here she is...

Lynn Slaughter: Lynn Slaughter loves the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, she earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. In addition to her adult mystery, MISSED CUE, she is the award-winning author of five young adult romantic mysteries: DEADLY SETUP, LEISHA’S SONG, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, WHILE I DANCED, and MISSING MOM. The ridiculously proud mother of two grown sons and besotted grandmother of five, Lynn lives in Louisville, Kentucky where she’s an active member and former president of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. Learn more about her at her website or follow her on X.

Happy Book Birthday, Deadly Setup by Lynn Slaughter!

Today's read heads in the mystery direction. It's about an innocent girl, who is accused of murder (I believe) and needs to prove she didn't do it, while finding the true murderer...or something like that. 

It doesn't come out until July, so keep your eyes peeled. 

DEADLY SETUP

by Lynn Slaughter

Fire and Ice Melange

Young Adult Mystery 

COMING...

JULY 5th!!!

When her impulsive, romance-writing mom announces her engagement to a man whose last heiress wife died under suspicious circumstances, Sam tries to dissuade her mother. But her mom is convinced she’ll finally have the “Happily Ever After” she writes about.

And then Sam’s life implodes. Her mom’s fiancé turns up dead, and a mountain of circumstantial evidence points to Sam as the killer. On trial for murder, she fights to prove her innocence with the help of her boyfriend’s dad, an ex-homicide cop.

Moonbeam Children’s Book Award bronze medalist and Agatha Christie award nominee, Lynn Slaughter returns with a new YA thriller pushing the envelope on coming-of-age stories. Dark yet hopeful, Deadly Setup shows that wealth truly doesn’t buy happiness.

GOODREADS  

MY TIDBITS

Mystery, tension, emotions, and an even pacing make this an intriguing coming-of-age tale.

Sam is a young woman, who does everything she should. She's an enjoyable character, who could be the girl next door, and is, in general, a nice person. It is sad to watch her relationship with her mother as Sam deals with her the best she can. When she is pulled into the murder accusation despite her disapproval of her mother's plans, the frustration and fear is palpable. 

This tale flows smoothly, while building tension with steady steps. Sam comes across as a realistic individual, and it's hard not to feel for her as she finds herself accused of something she definitely didn't do. As she faces the court and isn't sure how to get out of the situation, the direness hits well and had me hoping that everything works out. While tension builds, the twists and turns are sometimes more predictable than others. There are supportive characters on her side, which add the needed cushion of hope. 

Fans of thrillers with a down-to-earth atmosphere will enjoy this read.

Review: Leisha's Song by Lynn Slaughter

 

LEISHA'S SONG

by Lynn Slaughter

Fire & Ice Young Adult Books

YA Mystery

272 pages

COMING...

JUNE 22nd!!!

Leisha knows something's wrong. Her beloved vocal coach at boarding school would never have resigned and disappeared like this in the midst of preparing her prize students for a major vocal competition. Leisha's determined to find her, make sure she's okay.

Cody, a sensitive cellist, insists on helping her. Sparks fly, clues multiply, and romance blossoms, despite the disapproval of their families.

Leisha's desire to be with Cody and pursue music rather than medicine puts her on a direct collision course with her African-American grandfather, the only parent she's ever had. But an even more immediate threat looms-because as Leisha draws closer to the truth about her teacher's disappearance, she puts her own life in grave danger.

GOODREADS   /    BOOK DEPOSITORY   /    B&N   /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

The music academy setting sets the perfect stage for mystery, romance and family struggles.

Leisha is a very talented singer and can't wait to join the upcoming competition, but just when her training is rolling along, her vocal coach disappears. The woman is like a mother to Leisha, and she knows something is wrong despite the school's reassurance that the teacher simple resigned. Together with the last guy she should be crushing on, she tries to figure out the truth behind her teacher's disappearance and deal with personal problems she can no longer ignore.

This is a rich story in so many ways. Not only does it take place in a setting where music fills everyone's lives, but it sweeps into a hard to predict mystery. Then, there is the romance, a bi-racial one which causes many personal problems for Leisha. Lastly, add the family problems, which Leisha needs to struggle with, and there is a wealth of subplots and depth. Something happens on every page, and this not only includes the mystery, which is very hard to predict, but also the emotional front.

Leisha is a lovely character, who is already going against her grandparents by studying music but has taken their other views to heart. The character growth is well done as she comes head-to-head with her grandfather...a man, who is very hard to like. While some characters were pure good in this tale, the grandfather reflects the more realistic problems families can face, and these aren't always easy to solve...if there is a solution. It was a refreshing approach on this front and made Leisha that much more likeable.

This is a book carried by wonderful characters and a well-woven plot. The world building didn't quite pull me in, especially in the first chapters, but the quick pace makes up for that. Unfortunately, the ending was a bit rushed, but that was the only stumbling point on that end. Everything else grabs and creates an intrigue tale to get lost in and enjoy.

And here she is...

After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, Lynn Slaughter earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2016. She writes coming-of-age romantic mysteries and is the author of It Should Have Been You, a Silver Falchion finalist; While I Danced, an EPIC finalist; and Leisha’s Song (June 22, 2021, Fire and Ice). Her short story, Missed Cue, appears in Malice Domestic’s 2020 anthology, Murder Most Theatrical. She lives in Kentucky where she’s at work on her next novel, Deadly Setup, and serves as the President of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime.