The Afterlife Of Maria Trapp

by Amelie Whitmore-Rowe

When a young girl from York, England goes missing, Cadence Weatherford finds herself becoming a witness and a suspect all at once. To avoid being framed, Cadence takes matters into her own hands. Little do the police know that she has an ability that could lead to a solved case quicker than expected. Along the way, Cadence forms an alliance with Maria Trapp’s best friend, and also the pastor’s daughter, Faith King but Cadence's knows more about Maria's disappearance better than anyone. Because Cadence can see those who have passed on. And if she’s seeing Maria Trapp, that means she could be gone for good. What happened to Maira? Will Faith believe her? More importantly, how can the girls tell the police the whole story without giving them their secret?

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Faith Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

This is such a brilliant debut novel from Whitmore-Rowe. A YA sapphic coming-of-age partnered with a mystery is the perfect mix of genres and the two main characters are everything! Cadence and Faith are so different to one another but ultimately, Cadence's secret power brings them closer together at boarding school and the way this is represented feels so realistic.

Please do give this book a chance. It can be so hard as a debut indie author to find readers but I am so glad I got to read this. I cannot wait to see what comes next and I cannot recommend this enough!

[Ben Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully eclectic Young-Adult novel from a talented young debut writer. Combining elements of romance, mysticism, and LGBTQ+ around a murder-mystery plot, the author uses their skill in rhythmic writing to pull the reader along in a world that isn't quite what it seems. I read it in one-sitting as its punchy length and pace makes it a page-turner.