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| image copied from Bookshop.org |
In Case I Go Missing is an engrossing YA suspense with flawed, relatable characters and a strong and compelling voice in its protagonist, Fenny. It was a fast-paced read that did not sacrifice narrative elements or characterization to keep me turning pages.
Set in a small town in South Dakota, it follows Fenny and Sam as they work to discover what happened to their ringleader best friend, Sarah, when she goes missing. Because Sarah was a determined vigilante for justice, she was not always well liked. After she disappears, the local police assume she ran away and that Fenny or Sam helped her. But neither of Sarah's best friends know anything about what happened to her. In the months before she disappeared, Sarah had grown increasingly unreliable and secretive. When Fenny finds a binder that she gave Sarah years ago as a prank gift that's entitled "In Case I Go Missing" and sees that it is now filled with puzzling clues, both Fenny and Sam realize that Sarah didn't run away. Instead, something more sinister is behind her status as a missing teen.
The setting and mystery were both very immersive. I felt that I was in this town working to find Sarah along with Fenny and Sam. As someone who lived in the neighboring state of Montana as a teen, I could easily envision this place and its vibe. The interactions between the people in this community, Fenny's feelings about her peers at her high school, and the family dynamics between her and her mom, and Sam and his family were realistic and very relatable. But the one thing I appreciated most was the way Swann hones in on the theme of friendship in this story. Sam, Fenny and Sarah have been inseparable since elementary school. The clues that Sarah leaves for them to help them figure out what became of her could only be followed by them. Sarah knew them. She trusts them to be able to understand what the notes in the binder mean in a way that only they can. That builds the story into something much more complex, heartbreaking and dark than an ordinary mystery. It also made it harder for me as a reader to immediately guess who the culprit was. There are plenty of people with secrets both in the past with Sam's family as founding members of the town, and in the present involving a cold-case disappearance that Sarah was trying to solve.
The way the threads are eventually woven together at the end to reveal what happened was truly satisfying. I didn't see the final twist coming at all. If you love mysteries set in remote, small western towns that incorporate themes of friendship, and the consequences of seeking out truth at any cost, then you should read this masterful debut. I look forward to reading more by R. N. Swann.
Next time, I'll be discussing a queer YA fantasy romance by Laura Livingstone, The Boy with the Heart of Sea Glass. It was a sweet and mysterious contemporary fantasy set on a remote Cornish island. It is in my opinion, a perfect read for Pride Month if you enjoy slow-burn romance with fantasy elements mixed in. Both the cover and blurb for this one were copied from bookshop.org. Also, click on the titles for any of the books in this review and you'll be taken to bookshop.org where you can order your own copies.
"An impressive debut with moments of brilliance." -Richard Hall, author of I'm Fine
Eighteen-year-old Sam returns to the tiny Cornish island where he was born hoping to mend his broken heart and learn more about the father he never knew. Instead of finding answers, Sam's life becomes even more complicated when he begins to dream of the sea every night.
Falling for the first boy he meets also doesn't make Sam's life any easier. But Tryste is the perfect distraction. His thunderstorm eyes and their instant chemistry make Sam wish he still believed in happy endings. But Sam's wounds run deep, and he's worried about having his heart broken again.
As Sam's dreams intensify into eerie visions, he suspects there's so much more to his family, and his new boyfriend, than meets the eye. Embracing the truth will blur the line between reality and fairytale forever.
Will Sam choose to stay on dry land or follow his heart to the bottom of the ocean?
