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A Cold Case
In 1985, high school senior Jake Weathers stumbles upon a clue to a decades-old mystery…The day after their graduation in 1961, Kate Delisle and Trish Hawthorne left Weston, Massachusettts and were never seen again. When he discovers a note Trish wrote to Kate the day before their disappearance, Jake decides it’s his destiny to solve the oldest cold case in the state. He’s fascinated by the story, because sometimes he wants to disappear too, and leave his father in the rear view mirror.Jake needs help in his investigation, and reluctantly turns to the annoying and spoiled Julie St. Hilaire…Julie would have been Trish’s niece and has the inside track to information about the reclusive, wealthy Hawthorne family. As they chase down leads, the personality clash between Jake and Julie simmers down, and Jake finds it impossible to ignore the growing attraction between them.Jake and Julie find more than they bargained for…Jake suspects Kate and Trish had been living a lie and hiding dangerous secrets. As the mystery unravels, he and Julie start to dread what they might discover about the fate of the missing girls.Some cold cases should not be solved…This could be one of them.
408 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2015
7 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
K.D. Van Brunt
12 books92 followersI am a lawyer and have been writing professionally my entire career. I moved around a lot growing up (mostly in Southern California) before settling down on a ranch outside the town of Nespelem, Washington on the Colville reservation. I came east to go to law school a long time ago and never went home again. Today, I live in the great state of Maryland with my standard poodle, Aloy, who is my patient muse. In additional to numerous (and boring) legal writings, I’ve published seven young adult books with independent publishers, probably the best known of which is the Win the Rings trilogy. My stories all have a strong romantic element and tend to be very character driven. In addition to novels, I have also published an eclectic mix of short stories, ranging from romance to science fiction. My stories have won awards and my writing has gained favorable recognition (but I could always use more). In my spare time, when not writing, I enjoy a good road trip, watching hockey, and pretty much anything to do with poodles.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 6, 2015
4.5 stars
I was expecting a darker version of Nancy Drew (not consciously; I didn't realize that till afterwards) so it was a pleasant surprise to find myself enjoying a story firmly grounded in life around high school. These are normal kids, not intrepid comic-style reporters, with normal lives. Jake is a regular guy, nice but somewhat nerdy, while Julie is an obnoxious new girl, and despite their initial antagonism they find themselves pushed together in their quest for the truth.
So what happened to the missing girls? At first the assumption is that they've been taken, and their bodies may never be found, but then Jake and Julie uncover more information about that day. Were they taken, or did they leave? Are they dead, or just gone? Who would have hurt them?
It's gently set in 1986, and doesn't belabor the point. You'd barely notice except for the lack of cellphones and internet. (I might be showing my age here.) Unlike many YA books offered these days, this one is also relatively clean in terms of both plot and characters. I noticed one very minor plot discrepancy, but otherwise couldn't stop myself from reading, and enjoyed it - and the outcome - greatly.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was expecting a darker version of Nancy Drew (not consciously; I didn't realize that till afterwards) so it was a pleasant surprise to find myself enjoying a story firmly grounded in life around high school. These are normal kids, not intrepid comic-style reporters, with normal lives. Jake is a regular guy, nice but somewhat nerdy, while Julie is an obnoxious new girl, and despite their initial antagonism they find themselves pushed together in their quest for the truth.
So what happened to the missing girls? At first the assumption is that they've been taken, and their bodies may never be found, but then Jake and Julie uncover more information about that day. Were they taken, or did they leave? Are they dead, or just gone? Who would have hurt them?
It's gently set in 1986, and doesn't belabor the point. You'd barely notice except for the lack of cellphones and internet. (I might be showing my age here.) Unlike many YA books offered these days, this one is also relatively clean in terms of both plot and characters. I noticed one very minor plot discrepancy, but otherwise couldn't stop myself from reading, and enjoyed it - and the outcome - greatly.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2015
This book tells the story of a young man, Jake, who finds a letter from a girl who went missing along with a friend many years ago in his hometown and that makes him want to investigate the disappearance. Well, at least that's the idea, and one would think this book is full of interesting detective work scenes, enigmatic clues, dramatic plot twists and the likes, but the reality of things is that this story gives way more importance to a silly, eye-rolling romance going on between Jake and the new girl at school, Julie. The investigation of the cold case happens almost as an afterthought between all the romantic drama and in the form of various trips here and there to interview someone who knew the missing girls.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for romance in any given form, but it has to be GOOD, and certainly not an annoying love-triangle/square that feeds on a series of foolish misunderstandings, starring a very immature boy who has no problem calling a girl "bitch". Call me crazy but, yeah, this is not my favorite type of romance.
Another thing that baffled me, and had me rolling my eyes constantly, was how this guy who presents himself as an unpopular high school nerd, who complains about only having ten dates and one girlfriend in his 18 years of life, and who cuts his hair and dresses like his father, suddenly has at least 3 girls hitting on him, and they're all hot and extremely beautiful, and some even stay overnight at his house when he's home alone, wear his clothes and cook meals for him. Soooo realistic, right?
I'm sorry, but this to me sounds more like a never-in-your-wildest-dreams chain of events.
Back to the cold case, honestly, I guessed what had happened to the girls pretty early in the story, so that ending was no surprise to me.
Can't recommend this one.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for romance in any given form, but it has to be GOOD, and certainly not an annoying love-triangle/square that feeds on a series of foolish misunderstandings, starring a very immature boy who has no problem calling a girl "bitch". Call me crazy but, yeah, this is not my favorite type of romance.
Another thing that baffled me, and had me rolling my eyes constantly, was how this guy who presents himself as an unpopular high school nerd, who complains about only having ten dates and one girlfriend in his 18 years of life, and who cuts his hair and dresses like his father, suddenly has at least 3 girls hitting on him, and they're all hot and extremely beautiful, and some even stay overnight at his house when he's home alone, wear his clothes and cook meals for him. Soooo realistic, right?
I'm sorry, but this to me sounds more like a never-in-your-wildest-dreams chain of events.
Back to the cold case, honestly, I guessed what had happened to the girls pretty early in the story, so that ending was no surprise to me.
Can't recommend this one.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
October 17, 2016
A cold case by kn Van Bronx is a teens ya read.
In 1985, high school senior Jake Weathers stumbles upon a clue to a decades-old mystery…
The day after their graduation in 1961, Kate Delisle and Trish Hawthorne left Weston, Massachusettts and were never seen again. When he discovers a note Trish wrote to Kate the day before their disappearance, Jake decides it’s his destiny to solve the oldest cold case in the state. He’s fascinated by the story, because sometimes he wants to disappear too, and leave his father in the rear view mirror.
This was a good read. with good characters. I liked the story but it didn’t grip me. 4*. Thanks to netgalley for the arc.
In 1985, high school senior Jake Weathers stumbles upon a clue to a decades-old mystery…
The day after their graduation in 1961, Kate Delisle and Trish Hawthorne left Weston, Massachusettts and were never seen again. When he discovers a note Trish wrote to Kate the day before their disappearance, Jake decides it’s his destiny to solve the oldest cold case in the state. He’s fascinated by the story, because sometimes he wants to disappear too, and leave his father in the rear view mirror.
This was a good read. with good characters. I liked the story but it didn’t grip me. 4*. Thanks to netgalley for the arc.
December 27, 2015
This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.
I was expecting mystery, action, and thrills when I requested to read and review A Cold Case. Unfortunately, this is not what I got, and I was left very disappointed.
A Cold Case focuses on Jake Weathers, a high school senior, who stumbles onto the oldest cold case in the state, a case about two missing girls. He decides he is going to write an article for his school's newspaper about it, but he needs the help of Julie St. Hilaire who seems to hate him. They work together along with two other girls to track down people that were present during the girls' final days and are able to figure out what happened to the girls through interviews with the different people.
The mystery was not the focal point of the novel. The main point was definitely getting Jake and Julie together. I love me a good romance, but I did not like how the mystery aspect was just kind of a ruse. Also, I guessed why the two girls disappeared very early in the story so the reveals were rather lackluster.
The plot moved very slowly. There was not too much action until the end and even then, it was still on the slower side. At the beginning of the novel, I was interested, but that interest dwindled quickly. It took me a while to get through this book because it was long for no good reason. I think at the very least 100 pages could have easily been cut out and not subtract anything from the story.
One of the reasons the book was on the slower side was because characters kept being introduced. Some of the characters I really didn't even see a point to being in the story and others were mentioned at the beginning and then forgotten about by the end.
Overall, I guess I was hoping for more mystery and thrills in A Cold Case so I was unfortunately let down when I didn't get that.
I was expecting mystery, action, and thrills when I requested to read and review A Cold Case. Unfortunately, this is not what I got, and I was left very disappointed.
A Cold Case focuses on Jake Weathers, a high school senior, who stumbles onto the oldest cold case in the state, a case about two missing girls. He decides he is going to write an article for his school's newspaper about it, but he needs the help of Julie St. Hilaire who seems to hate him. They work together along with two other girls to track down people that were present during the girls' final days and are able to figure out what happened to the girls through interviews with the different people.
The mystery was not the focal point of the novel. The main point was definitely getting Jake and Julie together. I love me a good romance, but I did not like how the mystery aspect was just kind of a ruse. Also, I guessed why the two girls disappeared very early in the story so the reveals were rather lackluster.
The plot moved very slowly. There was not too much action until the end and even then, it was still on the slower side. At the beginning of the novel, I was interested, but that interest dwindled quickly. It took me a while to get through this book because it was long for no good reason. I think at the very least 100 pages could have easily been cut out and not subtract anything from the story.
One of the reasons the book was on the slower side was because characters kept being introduced. Some of the characters I really didn't even see a point to being in the story and others were mentioned at the beginning and then forgotten about by the end.
Overall, I guess I was hoping for more mystery and thrills in A Cold Case so I was unfortunately let down when I didn't get that.
October 3, 2015
I received a copy of this story from Net Galley. Yay books!
Spoilers possible ahead...
I'm actually going to try not to put too many spoilers (if any) here, because I believe this story would be better with out any. The things I will mention will be somewhat apparent from the description of the book. I may also add something that may have you questioning my sanity. Well, not really. It will just make you question what you read from this review, and make you want to read the book. Or, at least, I hope you do.
I will say it took me a little while to get used to the fact that this story takes place in 1985/86. From the beginning, when Jake goes into the book store to see if he finds any books from a series he's been collecting, I'm thinking 'why can't he just look on Amazon and order them...oh yeah, it's 1985'.
I did this a lot actually.
'Why-- *shakes head* -- it's '85.'
'What--* smacks hand against forehead* --it's '85.'
'But--* punches self in boob* --it's '85!'
I loved the idea of the teenage sleuths. But when you think about the actual sleuthing they did, you wonder what the hell the FBI was doing at the time this cold case was active. Really. The FBI do all this crazy training and they were bested by a couple of 18/17 year olds and the man-child uncle.
Because really, when you think about it, the part of the case that was solved oils have been solved so long ago with some few well placed questions. Though, I'm sure back in '61, when this originally happened, if the FBI knew the 'type' (trying to think of some word so I don't give away any info) of people they were dealing with they might not have put a whole lot of effort, if any at all, into the case.
I guess most of this could be explained that it originally happened in '61 and ended in '85. I'm still trying to get that to make sense in my head. So forgive me if another instance like that happens again. I'm sorry.
I will admit Jake confused me sometimes during this story. He doesn't portray a while lot of emotion. I started blaming it on his Y chromosome eventually. Like, when he first meets Ash. He flirts with her, but he's already in love with Julie. He doesn't really act like he's in love with her, but as a reader you just know. And, yeah. He feels guilty afterwards, but still...
Ok, I'm going to get off that now to get into something else...
*Sigh*
It's hard to imagine them not finishing the investigation. They just stopped, abruptly. Yeah, yeah, they had a reason they stopped. They were trying to protect someone(s) at the end. And they did need to stop. Just in case. Also, I'm not sure what the statue of limitations are to that kind of crime, 30 years ago...At this moment I can't even remember what the statue of limitations are today for that kind of crime. I'm thinking that it doesn't matter, no matter how long ago it happened. Ok, I'm getting off subject...But they had an address. They, Jake and Julie, could have kept looking into it. But they did get a lot of help from local police agencies, and it would probably be hard for them to keep searching with the FBI involved and possible following their every move.
Dang, FBI, has to mess up all the fun times...
So that leaves us with this whole book giving us question after question with the disappearance of these two girls and we never really figure out what happens to them or even if they're still alive.
...or do we?
*Sing song voice* Only way to find out is to read it.
Spoilers possible ahead...
I'm actually going to try not to put too many spoilers (if any) here, because I believe this story would be better with out any. The things I will mention will be somewhat apparent from the description of the book. I may also add something that may have you questioning my sanity. Well, not really. It will just make you question what you read from this review, and make you want to read the book. Or, at least, I hope you do.
I will say it took me a little while to get used to the fact that this story takes place in 1985/86. From the beginning, when Jake goes into the book store to see if he finds any books from a series he's been collecting, I'm thinking 'why can't he just look on Amazon and order them...oh yeah, it's 1985'.
I did this a lot actually.
'Why-- *shakes head* -- it's '85.'
'What--* smacks hand against forehead* --it's '85.'
'But--* punches self in boob* --it's '85!'
I loved the idea of the teenage sleuths. But when you think about the actual sleuthing they did, you wonder what the hell the FBI was doing at the time this cold case was active. Really. The FBI do all this crazy training and they were bested by a couple of 18/17 year olds and the man-child uncle.
Because really, when you think about it, the part of the case that was solved oils have been solved so long ago with some few well placed questions. Though, I'm sure back in '61, when this originally happened, if the FBI knew the 'type' (trying to think of some word so I don't give away any info) of people they were dealing with they might not have put a whole lot of effort, if any at all, into the case.
I guess most of this could be explained that it originally happened in '61 and ended in '85. I'm still trying to get that to make sense in my head. So forgive me if another instance like that happens again. I'm sorry.
I will admit Jake confused me sometimes during this story. He doesn't portray a while lot of emotion. I started blaming it on his Y chromosome eventually. Like, when he first meets Ash. He flirts with her, but he's already in love with Julie. He doesn't really act like he's in love with her, but as a reader you just know. And, yeah. He feels guilty afterwards, but still...
Ok, I'm going to get off that now to get into something else...
*Sigh*
It's hard to imagine them not finishing the investigation. They just stopped, abruptly. Yeah, yeah, they had a reason they stopped. They were trying to protect someone(s) at the end. And they did need to stop. Just in case. Also, I'm not sure what the statue of limitations are to that kind of crime, 30 years ago...At this moment I can't even remember what the statue of limitations are today for that kind of crime. I'm thinking that it doesn't matter, no matter how long ago it happened. Ok, I'm getting off subject...But they had an address. They, Jake and Julie, could have kept looking into it. But they did get a lot of help from local police agencies, and it would probably be hard for them to keep searching with the FBI involved and possible following their every move.
Dang, FBI, has to mess up all the fun times...
So that leaves us with this whole book giving us question after question with the disappearance of these two girls and we never really figure out what happens to them or even if they're still alive.
...or do we?
*Sing song voice* Only way to find out is to read it.
October 7, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I think one of the best elements of this book is the male narrative voice, Jake. He is believably a teen guy, struggling with the conflicts that most people face in real life, and I liked his perspective on other characters. I thought his complete inability to pick up on signals from the opposite sex came across as authentic, and it certainly made for some drama in the romantic relationships in the story. This drama does, at times, overshadow the mystery and I thought that was a bit of a shame. I was unsure if the drama was merely there to make the timeline of the investigation seem more realistic, but there were times when I wanted the pace to pick up and the plot to focus more clearly on the mystery. Alas, I am old and had little interest in this much detail about the romantic kerfuffles of a teen boy, so the target audience might feel just the opposite. At least he wasn't portrayed as only interested in one thing, and that is refreshing. The mystery was a bit of a disappointment for me because it took me about three seconds to grasp what it took the teens in the story a long time to put together (at least it took a while for Jake). I was curious about how it would resolve, but there was a lot of focus on the "why" that felt repetitive. I thought the teens came across as quite progressive in their thinking for average small town kids in the 1980's, and while I enjoyed all the references to one of my favorite eras, I have to question if this was the right era to set the story. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to because Jake's voice would make this a great book for guys, but the romantic relationships might make for an annoyance for many of my high school male readers. I liked the book myself, but I did think it could have been more compactly paced, and I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It felt like I deserved more for all the time I put into it. I was rather baffled by the epilogue because it sort of threw the narrative perspective off for the book as a whole -it kind of busted through the wall between audience and narrator in a way that was never hinted at until then, but I was grateful for the resolutions I got there. Some language, but very light sensuality, so it is appropriate for high school readers.
November 30, 2015
Ik was benieuwd toen ik de cover zag en ook de tekst op de achterflap trok me aan. Het beloofde, vond ik, een spannend en mysterieus boek te worden en daar had ik net zin in.
I was intrigued by the cover and when I read the contents, I was curious. I was convinced that I was in for a mysterious and an exiting book and that was what I was in the mood for.
Op de foto staan twee jonge mensen die heel goed aan de beschrijving van de hoofdpersonen voldoen en vermits alles in grote lijnen rond hen draait, is die prima gekozen. De titel is ook heel goed. Die verwijst immers naar een oude, nooit opgeloste zaak.
The cover shows us two young people you recognise as the two main characters and I liked that. The title also reflects the most important part of the book : an old case that was never resolved.
Ik weet niet goed wat ik over dit boek moet zeggen. Ik vond het een beetje vis, noch vlees. Daarmee bedoel ik dat er soms te veel aandacht besteed aan andere dingen die niet bijdroegen tot de zaak en daardoor geraakte die een beetje op de achtergrond en soms vond ik het ook niet echt geloofwaardig. Ik weet dat het fictie is maar ik weet niet of het echt mogelijk is dat deze jonge mensen kunnen doen wat hier beschreven staat.
It's difficult to express what the book meant to me. It was a mixture between a love story and a mystery but I thought too much attention was given to het love story part of the book. That's why, in my opinion, you sometimes lost track of the investigative part. I know it's fiction but it seems strange to me, that those young people could achieve what they did.
Het verhaal is vlot geschreven en met de nodige spanning zodat je verder wil lezen, maar jammer genoeg was het einde teleurstellend. Ik bleef om mijn honger zitten.
The book is written very fluently and you want to keep on reading because the author can keep you interested but I was dissapointed when I finished the book. I felt a bit let down.
Conclusie
Het verhaal was zeker niet slecht maar het voldeed niet aan wat ik ervan verwachtte toen ik de achterflap las. 2 sterren.
I did like the story, but I didn't give me what I expected. 2 stars.
I was intrigued by the cover and when I read the contents, I was curious. I was convinced that I was in for a mysterious and an exiting book and that was what I was in the mood for.
Op de foto staan twee jonge mensen die heel goed aan de beschrijving van de hoofdpersonen voldoen en vermits alles in grote lijnen rond hen draait, is die prima gekozen. De titel is ook heel goed. Die verwijst immers naar een oude, nooit opgeloste zaak.
The cover shows us two young people you recognise as the two main characters and I liked that. The title also reflects the most important part of the book : an old case that was never resolved.
Ik weet niet goed wat ik over dit boek moet zeggen. Ik vond het een beetje vis, noch vlees. Daarmee bedoel ik dat er soms te veel aandacht besteed aan andere dingen die niet bijdroegen tot de zaak en daardoor geraakte die een beetje op de achtergrond en soms vond ik het ook niet echt geloofwaardig. Ik weet dat het fictie is maar ik weet niet of het echt mogelijk is dat deze jonge mensen kunnen doen wat hier beschreven staat.
It's difficult to express what the book meant to me. It was a mixture between a love story and a mystery but I thought too much attention was given to het love story part of the book. That's why, in my opinion, you sometimes lost track of the investigative part. I know it's fiction but it seems strange to me, that those young people could achieve what they did.
Het verhaal is vlot geschreven en met de nodige spanning zodat je verder wil lezen, maar jammer genoeg was het einde teleurstellend. Ik bleef om mijn honger zitten.
The book is written very fluently and you want to keep on reading because the author can keep you interested but I was dissapointed when I finished the book. I felt a bit let down.
Conclusie
Het verhaal was zeker niet slecht maar het voldeed niet aan wat ik ervan verwachtte toen ik de achterflap las. 2 sterren.
I did like the story, but I didn't give me what I expected. 2 stars.
November 10, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the publisher BookBuzz via Netgalley in return for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
This is a YA romance/mystery. While touted as a mystery I actually found that the mystery was mainly a vehicle for the romance between our protagonist Jake and new girl Julie. This was not a bad thing for me as I love YA romance and I really enjoyed it but those expecting the main thrust of the story to be a who dunnit may be a little disappointed. In terms of the mystery I guessed all the various elements Julie & Jake uncover well before they happened but I still enjoyed it.
I really liked nerdy Jake. He is a good guy but I did find it a little unrealistic that after 18 yrs of almost no dating and one brief girlfriend this super nerd suddenly had 2 new hot girls chasing after him (3 if you count Erin). I did love his backbone in dealing with Julie's mother.
I liked Julie and Ash as well, though I found the whole thing with Julie turning Jake down and going out with her ex quite inexplicable, especially as she was obviously into Jake and never particularly into Sam. I was actually expecting there to be some issue or trauma in Julie's past to explain her behavior (like the flinching when Jake accidentally brushes past her, not wanting to date etc) but nothing. I think taking this and the resulting triangle with Ash out and focusing a little more on the mystery would have improved my rating.
I don't know why the author chose to set in in 1985 (possibly a timing thing due to having the original mystery being in the 60s) but I liked it, especially as I am a child of the eighties so a lot of it brought back memories of my own high school years. However there was was one obvious error which slipped through the editing and that is a reference to Jake's brother and parents in front of the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney, supposedly taken before Jake was born (which would have been in the 70's). Pirates was not made til well after 1985, let alone the 70's. Only a small thing but it bugged me.
I would recommend this to those who like YA romance with a bit of mystery, and those who like books set in different times.
3.5 stars.
This is a YA romance/mystery. While touted as a mystery I actually found that the mystery was mainly a vehicle for the romance between our protagonist Jake and new girl Julie. This was not a bad thing for me as I love YA romance and I really enjoyed it but those expecting the main thrust of the story to be a who dunnit may be a little disappointed. In terms of the mystery I guessed all the various elements Julie & Jake uncover well before they happened but I still enjoyed it.
I really liked nerdy Jake. He is a good guy but I did find it a little unrealistic that after 18 yrs of almost no dating and one brief girlfriend this super nerd suddenly had 2 new hot girls chasing after him (3 if you count Erin). I did love his backbone in dealing with Julie's mother.
I liked Julie and Ash as well, though I found the whole thing with Julie turning Jake down and going out with her ex quite inexplicable, especially as she was obviously into Jake and never particularly into Sam. I was actually expecting there to be some issue or trauma in Julie's past to explain her behavior (like the flinching when Jake accidentally brushes past her, not wanting to date etc) but nothing. I think taking this and the resulting triangle with Ash out and focusing a little more on the mystery would have improved my rating.
I don't know why the author chose to set in in 1985 (possibly a timing thing due to having the original mystery being in the 60s) but I liked it, especially as I am a child of the eighties so a lot of it brought back memories of my own high school years. However there was was one obvious error which slipped through the editing and that is a reference to Jake's brother and parents in front of the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney, supposedly taken before Jake was born (which would have been in the 70's). Pirates was not made til well after 1985, let alone the 70's. Only a small thing but it bugged me.
I would recommend this to those who like YA romance with a bit of mystery, and those who like books set in different times.
December 20, 2015
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite
A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons Are Lost is a young adult mystery by K.D. Van Brunt. Jake Weathers, a 1985 high school senior, becomes curious when he finds a puzzling note written by Trish Hawthorne who disappeared with Kate Delisle, shortly after their graduation in 1961. Although considered the state’s oldest cold case, Jake decides to solve it with the help of friends.
Julie, who happens to be the niece of Trish, helps Jake research and write about the missing girls for their school paper. However, not all persons connected to Trish and Kate want to relive the past, and some are reluctant to divulge information that may solve the case, especially when the school article becomes public. The deeper the friends dig into the girls’ lives, the more they uncover secrets that others did not want exposed.
A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons Are Lost is an awesome engrossing mystery. Although K.D. Van Brunt wrote the story for young adults, older readers will also enjoy it. They can possibly relate to the primary theme dealing with specific emotional and thought-provoking social issues, which sometimes have an impact on families and the public.
I admired the author’s creativity and sharp writing skills. He developed characters with very distinct personalities. The exciting trail of clues that Jake and his friends had me follow was very suspenseful. The cover illustration complements A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons are Lost, which is a terrific book that I highly recommend.
A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons Are Lost is a young adult mystery by K.D. Van Brunt. Jake Weathers, a 1985 high school senior, becomes curious when he finds a puzzling note written by Trish Hawthorne who disappeared with Kate Delisle, shortly after their graduation in 1961. Although considered the state’s oldest cold case, Jake decides to solve it with the help of friends.
Julie, who happens to be the niece of Trish, helps Jake research and write about the missing girls for their school paper. However, not all persons connected to Trish and Kate want to relive the past, and some are reluctant to divulge information that may solve the case, especially when the school article becomes public. The deeper the friends dig into the girls’ lives, the more they uncover secrets that others did not want exposed.
A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons Are Lost is an awesome engrossing mystery. Although K.D. Van Brunt wrote the story for young adults, older readers will also enjoy it. They can possibly relate to the primary theme dealing with specific emotional and thought-provoking social issues, which sometimes have an impact on families and the public.
I admired the author’s creativity and sharp writing skills. He developed characters with very distinct personalities. The exciting trail of clues that Jake and his friends had me follow was very suspenseful. The cover illustration complements A Cold Case: Not All Missing Persons are Lost, which is a terrific book that I highly recommend.
November 11, 2015
I absolutely loved this book. I felt like it was firmly grounded in what could legitimately happen. The love story between Jake and Julie was fun to watch develop. I very much appreciated Jake not being the "normal" teenage boy that would be only concerned with parties and girls while home alone for such a time, It was a nice change to see a main character truly change and grow. The mystery aspect of the story was also a nice pace, I enjoyed that it was told in such a way that made it believable. I will definitely recommend this book, and I hope to own it on paper back as well because it is truly a beautifully written story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews