The Missing

by M.A. Leslie

Eight-year-old, Ethan Doyle is just a normal kid whose biggest problem in life was to fight for the attention of his busy parents from his older twin siblings. But, after his aunt and uncle tragically die, his family takes in his teenage cousin, Kelsey, and moves to a spooky old, manor house in a new town. At first, everything seems fine, but when he begins to see and speak to a spirit named Lucas, his biggest problem becomes, just staying alive. Lucas was ten years old when the spirits of the house came to him and asked him for help setting their spirits free. Unfortunately, he never made the deadline and as a result the spirits took him and made him a part of the house as well. As he soon finds out, the only way he can save his own soul is to save the souls of the missing boys in the house. With his own deadline in place, Ethan enlists the help of his cousin Kelsey to solve the twenty-year-old mystery of THE MISSING.

Genres: Ghosts

274 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 25, 2011

About the author

M.A. Leslie isn't just one person, but two. We are a married writing team from Southern NJ. There we raise our two young children, work, live, and write.

We have two works self published. One, a MG fantasy novel, Tristen & the Magic Shop is book one of a series. The other, Liberty, a paranormal thriller. It is our passion and goal to not only write what we love, but also have some books that our kids can read too.

Reviews

[Nicole Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story starts with Lucas's plight. Then moves to the current time to explain the circumstances that brings the family to the haunted house. The main characters are Ethan and Kelsey, two cousins. Others in the house consist of Ethan's mother and father, Kelsey's aunt and uncle, and the twins. Ethan's older brother and sister, Kelsey's cousins.

Ethan is approached by Lucas's ghost to have him help free five ghosts that had passed away on the property. Ethan, getting along best with his cousin, tells Kelsey what he has been told. He must free the five ghost children or suffer the same fate as Lucas. Being tied to the house by the ghosts until they are freed.

I enjoyed following along as Kelsey and Ethan do their research. This is a good young adult ghostie story. And would suggest it to anyone looking for an easy, fun read.

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before I begin this review, I feel that I should note that while I did not really feel a connection to this story, I know of other readers who have and believe that the issues I had with this book are more on a personal level than anything else. I received this book in return for an honest review from the author through the ARR system in the Making Connections Goodreads group.

The first thing that I would state is that I really don’t feel that this book was a YA, or that if it was, it is more directed at the younger end of YA. But, I would probably argue that this was a more middle-grade book. The reason for this is that while there is a sixteen year old within the text and she is one of the main characters, the story definitely revolves more around the eight year old boy and while I did enjoy this aspect of the story, it was difficult to really get into the sympathy side of it. I felt that it was too difficult to actually connect with the characters on the page.

With it being too hard to really get into the characters, it made it really difficult to enjoy the story. With changing POVs throughout the story, it made the storyline really choppy and hard to really get into. I found myself reading just to get to the finish but not because I was really engrossed in the story and actually wanting to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, this is disappointing because I really thought that the premise of this book sounded really interesting but the writing style for me, was just not something that I could get to grips with and therefore I just couldn’t find this book pleasurable.

I did, however, enjoy the overall storyline of the novel. I liked wondering what was going to happen and how they would find out the truth but I also found it to be slightly predictable. It was easy to piece together what was going to happen, and in fact, it was almost pointed out towards the end of the novel as to what would soon happen. There was a slight twist but not one that really stuck out in my mind or made the story any better. This was all unfortunate as, to me, this story had a lot of potential and could have been worked into a great piece.

I also liked the dynamics of the family in the novel. I liked the way that Ethan felt secluded and abused by his twin brother and sister who often used him as the butt end of his joke. I felt that this aspect of the story was a fairly realistic portrayal of how some families end up and the way that siblings often treat each other. I could also see how, with the twins seeking all the attention, Ethan would have often found it difficult to really get his parents’ attention by telling stories that they may not have believed. This was one of the only aspects of the book that I fully connected with and could relate to.

I feel that if the characters had been easier to connect with and the story hadn’t constantly chopped from one POV to the next, then this story could have been really gripping and I could have enjoyed it more. I also felt that the story became a bit repetitive. It was almost like the author believed that because what you had read about a character happened four chapters ago, that point needed to be brought up again to refresh your memory. Unfortunately it just felt pointless and unnecessary. It, in turn, made it harder to connect to the story at hand and a lot easier to turn off and think about something else.

While this wasn’t the story for me, I do believe that this would be a good book for younger readers and would be a good book to give to someone who finds it difficult to really enjoy reading but as an avid reader with attention to detail, it was just too hard for me to take any enjoyment out of this book. I believe that readers who enjoy easy mystery and ghost stories will really like this book. It simply wasn’t the right read for me but this is just one of the things that happen in the world. We can’t all like the same books, can we?

[Kepuma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received The Missing By M.A. Leslie for free through Goodreads first reads giveaway. I enjoyed this book and it really got me from page one it drew me in. It pulled me into the story.I could not put it down. The story was different,the fact that it centered around children was different from other stories like this one. Though some parts of the story I felt were very cliche and the spelling in some parts of the book drove me crazy. In some places there were some slight typos, you could tell they were obviously typos and not just misspellings. Reading a book and the spelling being off even if it is a typo can drive a person crazy. Also at the beginning of one of the chapters the chapter heading was off center. All the other chapter headings were center and exactly the same but this one chapter was off center. Besides these minor errors in spelling and format there was no real problem with the story and the writing in itself. I felt like the story flowed well from one event to the next and the story did not feel forced. I did feel since it flowed so well from one event to the next it was kind of predictable and there was no real surprises. For example, what happened to the children and who did it because it flowed from one event to the next. The answer was right in front of your face and there was no twist or turn to the story at all. Also I felt at times the story felt slightly rushed, I felt like there were some parts of the story that I would of liked to be expanded on and more time spent in that scene of the story, because they felt very short and rushed. For example, When one of the main characters goes to visit her grandfather, it is stated that she has to walk a very long way to get there but her conversation and time with her grandfather seems to be so short and spans over maybe two pages. I felt if it stated something like she spent a few hours with her grandfather then said goodbye and headed home. It would of made her trip seem more personal with her grandfather and less business like. The encounter seemed to be so impersonal and not at all like the relationship that the character describes between her and her grandfather. Besides all this I did enjoy the idea of the story itself and it did hold my attention through out the book.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing twist to this novel is that it begins with an end, of sorts, and then proceeds to interweave two different tales, or two different plot lines, which converge at one locale, a house considered haunted by the townspeople, with good reason. It required a bit of effort to conceptualise this double plot line, but in the process I found myself captivated with the character explications! With a few gentle brush strokes, each character is fully fleshed out, realistically so, and the reader feels as if she knows them. Thankfully, they are three-dimensional characters, each with goals, talents, faults, and foibles, just as any human has. The only characters who are rather left in the shadows are those children who are part and parcel of the house, who precede Lucas. Little Lucas is quite a character in himself: like Kelsey, the adolescent who will later move into the haunted home, he is a much-loved child, the apple of his parents’ eyes; solemn, studious, wise beyond his years-and eventually, like Kelsey, grief-stricken-almost as if it is the fate of the blessed ones to suffer. Lucas, Kelsey, and her first cousin Ethan, all have much in common-qualities that link them to the residence, and make them more susceptible and more amenable to what exists there other than the human.

Reader be awake: this novel is going to turn your preconceptions upside down! Don’t think you know all the answers and can expect in advance all the plot twists-that’s just not so. The authors will upend your expectations and deliver some startling denouements.

On the minus side, at times I found the dialogue a little stilted, and the copy I read for review purposes needed some additional proof-reading.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan is the youngest child with twin siblings and two very busy parents. He struggles to get attention and is constantly bullied by his siblings. When his aunt and uncle die in a tragic car accident, his parents take in his cousin Kelsey and move to an old mansion. The mansion has a very haunted past that soon presents itself in the form of Lucas. Lucas went missing and died at the age of ten when he couldn't help free the Children who haunt the mansion. Lucas needs Ethan's help to free the souls of the mansion or he will be doomed to haunt the mansion. With the help of Kelsey, Ethan sets out to free the Children. Will he succeed or will he be killed just like Lucas?

The Missing is not just for teens and pre-teens. A mystery novel about a haunted house and family ties, this novel is worth more than just the $.99 it is sold for. This novel will keep your interest throughout the entire novel, which most YA mysteries aren't able to do for avid readers.

I was nervous for the characters and kept on edge and begging to know what the true story of the mansion is. This novel is full of twists and turns that are unexpected but marvelous. The true story of the mansion is one that is so twisted and demented that I read it twice just to make sure I had it right. I will definitely be reading this one again.

[dsneaks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The missing by M.A Leslie was an interesting idea for a story but some parts I felt were either very rushed while other parts of the story were very drawn out. Some parts of the book I wanted to know more about or having that scene explored more but it just flew right by.but the idea of the story was great and I enjoyed it. I felt
Like at times I could not put this book down and just ate it right up. I did not exactly like how this book portrays psychologist though it made it seem like they all are evil and out to hurt little children, but that was just my take on it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Whether you believe or not, you will when you finish this one! Parts will make the back of your neck tingle and you'll feel those goose bumps show themselves at times. The ending chills and surprises! Enjoyed this one!