Product Description
When Sophie shares her late mother’s matzo ball soup recipe with the owner of the local diner, she realizes that she’s made a slip. But she has no idea just how much trouble it will cause. After adding a few Midwestern touches to the soup, Wilda enters it in a cooking contest and wins first prize! She’s going to be featured on a television cooking show and she wants Sophie to appear with her. Then, when the cast and crew of the show arrive in town, the chef disappears. Now Sophie and Sam have to find him, and find a way to prevent Sophie’s face from being broadcast on national television. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An interesting, funny, trendy 'Nancy Drew'-type series that will please mystery readers of all ages
Sophie knows that she's made a big mistake, when she accidentally lets her mother's famous matzo ball soup recipe to Wilda Higgins, the owner of the Petal Diner. After all, she and her sister - Sam - are known to the town of Venice, Indiana as two Christian girls whose parents were killed in a car accident, not two Jewish girls who ran away from Queens, New York with their evil stepmother's money. However, Wilda quickly adds some Midwestern touches to make the recipe her own, then enters it into a contest. However, when Wilda wins, and is chosen to appear on Griffin Gateaux's cable television cooking show, she invites Sophie to join her on-screen. Now, Sam must figure out a way to prevent Sophie's face from being plastered all over the media, or their covers will definitely be blown. But that's the least of their worries, for Wilda and Griffin quickly disappear while touring local dairy farms, and now it's up to Sophie and Sam, along with their Private Investigator boss, the gruff Gus, to find Wilda and Griffin before they're both...expired.

With so few mystery series on the market for teens nowadays, it's wonderful to have the opportunity to pick up one of M.E. Rabb's books, and enter the small town of Venice, solving missing persons cases. Rabb has a talent of creating interesting, out-of-the-ordinary problems for the Shattenberg sisters, that keep readers guessing from first page to last. THE UNSUSPECTING GOURMET is no exception. Sophie and Sam are quirky, and fun to read about; and the adventures they encounter in the bizarro Venice, Indiana leave readers laughing, and dying for a slice of Wilda's famous pie. An interesting, funny, trendy NANCY DREW-type series that will please mystery readers of all ages. My only qualm is that it appears that this series has been discontinued.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the mysterious disappearance of thousands of American servicemen serving in Vietnam and other areas of Southeast Asia during the years of war and turmoil in that region. Examines the issue of government reluctance to support the efforts to rescue and help find these missing men. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses missing children including those who run away or are abducted by strangers or parents and outlines ways to prevent and cope with this increasing problem. ... Read more

Product Description
An enthralling portrait of one family in the aftermath of a daughter’s disappearance.

It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P. and letting her hair grow. It was also the summer when, without warning, popular high school student Kim Larsen disappeared from her small midwestern town. Her loving parents, her introverted sister, her friends and boyfriend must now do everything they can to find her. As desperate search parties give way to pleading television appearances, and private investigations yield to personal revelations, we see one town’s intimate struggle to maintain hope and, finally, to live with the unknown.

Stewart O’Nan’s new novel begins with the suspense and pacing of a thriller and soon deepens into an affecting family drama of loss. On the heels of his critically acclaimed and nationally bestselling Last Night at the Lobster, Songs for the Missing is an honest, heartfelt account of one family’s attempt to find their child. With a soulful empathy for these ordinary heroes, O’Nan draws us into the world of this small American town and allows us to feel a part of this family. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

Wish I'd Written this Book - Amazingly insightful
If you're looking for a cookie-cutter mystery filled with your standard intrigue, look somewhere else. If you want a book about people, not plot, then this is for you.

I'm sick of standard missing person mysteries and have been waiting for something like this to break through for a LONG time. It's so refreshing to see a character-driven story that doesn't simply describe what a character looks like and then uses the character as a simple plot-mover. Nope, each one of O'Nan's main 5 characters (mother, father, sister, best friend and boyfriend of the missing girl) gets their own narrative/POV chapters, which some readers may find jarring but personally, I LOVED it; it's how I've always written and am so happy to find a writer who can pull it off so well.

No the plot isn't fast, but it so perfectly captures how time drags while waiting for news and trying to keep hope alive. I have to say once more - the characters are so well-drawn WITHOUT endless exposition and backstory that is so popular in thrillers that I really must say this is now in my top 5 books ever.

Very nicely done, Mr. O'Nan - now I have to read all his other books!

Songs for the Missing: A Beautiful, Haunting Work
Normally, after finishing a book I immediately select another from my bedside stack. Not this time.Three days ago I finished reading SONGS FOR THE MISSING, which still caroms off the corners of my mind. When it ended just the way it should, I--the reader--wept, partly because of O'Nan's graceful writing. At the same time I--the writer--was asking myself "How did he do that?" I'm online at Amazon.com to order LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER and so on down the list. [ASIN:0972422463 Spirit Willing: A Savannah Haunting]

The story CSI doesn't tell
I loved the premise of this book.Usually I think we tend to sensationalize kidnappings of beautiful young women - in the papers or on CSI or whatever - and this book does just the opposite.It's all about the aftermath, what happens to a family and a community once the girl is gone.

I feel like this book did a really good job of making it all real.This must've been an incredibly painful book to plan and write, but O'Nan definitely didn't cut corners.I think the realism of this story is an impressive achievement.

The only drawbacks, for me, were in the last third of the book.I got impatient at one point and gave up reading for a while - I got bored. (I picked it up again pretty quick, though!) I felt like there might've been a problem with the book's pacing - or something, I don't know.For me, it got less believable towards the end.Or maybe I mean that, in the later parts of the book, O'Nan could've picked better moments to show us, to tell us about how the characters were dealing with Kim's continued absence.I felt like the moments he did give us didn't tell us that story in the best, most direct way.

The only other thing that bugged me was the way O'Nan handled the conclusion.I felt like, suddenly, we were mostly shut out from the characters' heads.Maybe that was intentional, but for me it was unsatisfying.

Overall, though, I think this is a very impressive book.It does so much so well!For a very patient reader, I think this book is worth 5 stars - I definitely recommend reading it.I read it months ago, and it's stuck with me.

Okay
Boring, and I never felt any suspense, fear, dread or even sadness while reading. Given the topic I expected to feel suspense and fear especially, and all I was during reading this was bored. I felt nothing for any of the characters, and did not care about the ending either.

The minutiae of the mundane within a crisis...
A reviewer for the Washington Post really hit the nail on the head with this observation about Songs for the Missing: "...the thriller equivalent of watching blood dry."

A young woman... disappears.Has she been abducted?Decided it's time for a long road trip?Is she fulfilling a hidden fantasy, as part of a secret life?How would one know?What should one do?

In chapter one, Kim Larsen disappears, along with her car.For the rest of the book, her family and friends look for her, grieve for her, and fear for her, but continue to live their lives.Author Stewart O'Nan has "filled in the blanks" for the painful life between the bookends of abduction and resolution.And O'Nan is detailed in this depiction:

"She got the broccoli going and stuck a toothpick in the mudpie to make sure it was setting.He came down in a golf shirt and cargo shorts, his hair slicked back, still wet.He wanted to hep, but she told him to get a beer and go sit on the deck.It was too nice to be inside.He arranged two chairs facing each other so he could put his feet up.While she brushed he sauce on he tipped his head back, basking with his eyes closed, one hand absently scratching Cooper behind the ear.'Feels like Sunday,' he said."

Life continues.O'Nan focuses on this continuation.Be prepared for a sluggish story. ... Read more

Product Description
This title is for the age-range: 12+. Maxine's parents have had to do perhaps the worst possible thing: confirm the identity of her brother Derek's body by the clothes he was wearing when he disappeared. So the brother who was missing is now officially dead. But then the worst possible thing really happens: Maxine receives a telephone call from somebody saying he is her brother. She can hardly believe her ears. Has Derek come back from the dead? In this pacy thriller, the author manages to confront many issues including: how different people deal with grief/the very under-rated effect of severe bullying at school/sibling rivalry - all in a fast-paced compelling narrative voice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Perfect prices
this is an item no longer in circulation.I was relieved to find it on-line in almost perfect condition.The price was perfect and I received it in within the time frame mentioned on the shipping info.

Missing GT Book Review
Missing by Catherine Macphail is a suspense novel about a girl, Maxine, who feels left alone in her world. Her brother Derek disappeared one day, and he was found dead a few months later. The father approved that the body was his son's, and that was what it was left to. The body was buried, and everybody just kind of went on with things, except her mom, dad, and a boy named Sweeney who had been bullying Derek before his death. Maxine's parents were always lingering over Derek, Derek, Derek. Her mother was very emotional about it, and her dad tried to accept the death and move on. Maxine was angry that her mom was always talking about him, and never taking the time to ask Maxine how her day was or even just how she was.
Then, it started to become weird, Maxine started to get phone calls from someone who claimed to be Derek. She was always frightened because she did not want her mom to receive the call and become even more worried about his death. Maxine thought that it was either a stupid prank, or Derek had never really died. One time, the caller told Maxine to meet him in the cemetery of his grave, or Derek's grave. Maxine followed the directions at the exact time, but invited one of her close guy friends, Cam, to join her. When she arrived at the cemetery, she found Cam being beaten by Sweeney and laughed at. Maxine approached and told them to back up. She attempted to stand up for herself and Cam, but then Sweeney took her by the hair and threw her to the ground. Derek finally showed up! It wasn't a ghost or a prank, it was her brother. He scared them off just with his presence there, when they thought he was still dead. Everybody thought he was dead. He conversed with Maxine about how it will be for him back home with his parents. She explained everything, and they became a normal family again. Derek owed a lot to Maxine for accepting him back into the household and following his directions to go to the cemetery. I enjoyed this book very much, and I request it to anybody who is anticipating a novel that will make you want to read from cover to cover in no time.

From J. Kaye's Book Blog
MISSING is about a girl named Maxine and her brother, Derek, who is missing. When the police find a body that matches Derek's description, her father is asked to take a look. It was Derek. He's dead.

Later, Maxine receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Derek. Maxine is terrified and the phone calls won't stop. On one of the phone calls, the caller asked her to meet him in the local church. She did, but before she could get a good look at the boy, the preacher interrupted them and the boy left, but not before leaving a necklace that she gave Derek on his birthday.

Now she isn't sure if the person is her brother or someone playing a cruel trick. The closer she gets to the truth, the closer she comes to danger. Will she find out who is behind this or die trying? I can't say, because it will ruin the book. It's worth reading to the end to find out though.

An Okay book
This is a great kind of suspence book for children. it has a bittersweet ending.so for all of you junior Sherlock holmes out there you'll probably enjoy it.

Fantastic Book!
This book was really good. Short summary: Maxine Moody has a brother Derek who has run away. When Maxine's parents identify a body in londen, and discovered it's Derek's body, Derek is dead. There is more to this summary but I can't say b.c i'll go on and on. It was the most exciting book i have read in a very long book. i couldn't put the book down! it was really a good book and i would really recommend it to at least 11 year old kids or older. I don't really like other geners than Realistic Fiction, so i gave this a shot, and I loved it. RATE THIS AS A FANTASTIC GOOD NOVEL! ... Read more

Product Description
Investigating a woman’s disappearance on a New York City ferry, Detective Eve Dallas wonders…if she didn’t jump, and she’s not on board, then where in the world is she?

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb

“Tough as nails and still sexy as hell.”—Stephen King
“Can’t-miss pleasures.”—Harlan Coben
“Wonderful!”—Robert B. Parker ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Missing in Death/J.D. Robb
I thought I was getting the book but received it in a CD. I loved it.I played while I was doing my Homework. Fasted I have ever "read" a book. I did think Peabody sounded funny at first. But I loved Dallas and her husband.

Happy with purchase
Product was received in a timely manner in excellent condition.I am very pleased with service and the book.

Disappointing rendition of excellent writing
In fairness, to put JD Robb's superior writing into audio or (God Forbid) video format is a very difficult task.Her written images make her characters seem real and that reality would be different for each reader.

I would have given this production 1 or 2 stars based only on the presentation.The only thing that saves this product is the excellence of the writing of JD Robb.Susan Ericksen does a terrible job of separating the dialog of different characters and different emotions - the word "flat" comes to mind.

It is also very evident that Ms. Ericksen has not read the "In Death" series.
If she were familiar with the series she would know that Rourke only uses an Irish accent when he is emotional-very angry, worried about Eve's safety, or sometimes during seduction.She also has no clue of the relationship between Eve and Peobody, or it wouldn't come across so boring.

I regret buying this product.It would be much better in written form.

J.D. ROBB IS THE BEST
I have been reading Nora Roberts' books for years...and ALL the J. D. Robb books since she began writing them....LT. Eve Dallas, Rorke, and all the characters are just "Out of this World"!!! My only complaint is she doesn't write them fast enough!!!I can't wait for the next one!!!!

Eve's better than ever!
A wife/mother has been reported missing on a New York ferry. There is quite the crime scene but no "body", and when the "missing mom" turns up uninjured with no memory of where she has been, could the NYPSD think of anyone better than Lt. Eve Dallas to solve the crime? And of course, with little or no leads, lack of food and sleep, she will do the job. Ironically, this case will touch her life in ways she never imagined. The victim and the suspect have ties to her painful past, and the secret organization (the HSO). Confronted with the truth, and knowing the motive, Eve must look deep within herself for a solution that she can live with. This short "In Death" story was great. There wasn't the usual amount of romance (although Roarke is still to die for), but there was everything that made a good tale....there were spies, secret weapons, assassins, murder, mayhem and a decent story to boot. I definitely recommend this story to people who love the series (they will know and appreciate the back stories), they won't regret it. ... Read more

Product Description
Hailed by the Times Literary Supplement as an "International Book of the Year" on its publication in Britain, The Missing is a fascinating literary meditation on missing persons by the acclaimed young Scottish writer Andrew O'Hagan. Amazon.com Review
Scottish journalist Andrew O'Hagan's fascination with "missingpersons" grew out of his childhood exposure to the fear engendered byunexplained disappearance. He begins his inquiry into this scarily prevalentphenomenon by describing his growing up in working-class Glasgow in the1970s, his parents' worry over inner city violence, and the disappearance ofa local boy that left the author with a deep unease. O'Hagan's investigationinto the causes of such disappearances--abduction, willful walking away fromlife, teenage angst, parental abandonment--includes a detailed account of afamous British serial murder case in Gloucester. Through wrenching interviewswith those hurt most, O'Hagan evokes a compassionate and disturbing empathywith the absent victims of modern alienation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A good, solid book full of information.
Part memoir, part social commentary, this book is about missing people in Great Britain. It's a bit dated now as it was written before the internet came into widespread use, but much of what it says still applies. The book is not about specific cases so much as the phenomenon in general. O'Hagan, a journalist, interviewed runaways and homeless people in addition to law enforcement officials as part of his research. Much of what he says, especially about the people who die and are left undiscovered in their apartments for months, makes for very depressing reading. This book is well worth the time to look at and fostered greater awareness in myself, although I knew a great deal about missing people already.

Stunning
This is an astonishing book on a number of levels. At its most basic, it provides a fascinating account of how easily it becomes possible for people to 'disappear'. If you've ever sat staring at a kid's face on the back of a milk carton, and wondered 'What happened?', The Missing will go a considerable way to providing answers. But that's not all: as a piece of autobiography -- indeed, as a piece about memory -- The Missing is stunning: precise, lucid, beautiful despite itself. As a piece of reportage, it is, simply, astonishing. My hat goes off to Mr O'Hagan.

Double Think
This is the usual fare that critics at the New York Times discuss at trendy Manhattan restaurants, the kind of self pitying whining that distinguishes their "leisure" section for privileged urbanites,opposite the "news" where blood thirsty articles condoningAmerican war crimes prevail. ... Read more

Product Description
When their little sister doesn't come home from school, fifteen-year-old Maggie and her brother must face up to some deep, dark secrets about their natural mother, whom they must consider as a kidnapping suspect. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

These Things DO HAPPEN
You know, I read this book for the first time when I was probably ten years old. I read it quite a few times. Now at age 27 I have a child of my own. I'm not sure I could stomach reading the book now. It is a really, really good book, and I have read one or two reviews where people thought it was boring and what not. That scares me a little because these things really DO happen, and there is nothing boring, and everything SCARY about them happening.Granted, this is just a book but it's quite accurate. It's very sad because more and more these days, as with the Adam Walsh case, you do not hear about a happy ending. Alot of cops have been known to say that if a child is not found within the first few hours of a kidnapping, the odds go down that he or she will be found alive.

Aschild, I just thought the book was good. I didn't think much of how the step-mom (mother to the little girl)was feeling, as I had no children and was onlychild myself and identified more with the teenage charactors. As a mother I now understand what the mother was going through and can only imagine that I would be in hysterics and insane if my child was abducted.

Gripping and real
Teens Maggie and Mike are responsible for their four-year-old half sister Courtenay while their parents take a long-postponed vacation. Since they enjoy their time with the active little girl, they figure a few days alone won't be a problem.

The first morning their parents are away, Maggie and Mike put Courtie on the bus...only to learn she never arrived at school. They are forced to cut their father and stepmother's trip short as the family entreats friends and neighbors to hang posters and canvass the area.

Throughout the nightmare, 15-year-old Maggie keeps getting harassing phone calls from an anonymous male. She isn't sure if the person has anything to do with her little sister's disappearance, but she's rattled nonetheless.

Although geared for the YA level, the story is very real. Martin does a good job depicting how easily a child can be snatched - even a smart one, who has been warned of all the world's dangers by her loving family. She also shows how it takes but a moment to turn a family's mundane everyday life into a relentless nightmare. Nothing else really seems to matter when a loved one is missing.

someone is missing

This book is called "Missing Since Monday" by: Ann M. Martin
The book is about a girl named Maggie, her brother Mike, and her little sister named Courtney. Maggie's parents are divorced and her dad got remarried.
One day Maggie's dad and her step mom went on their honeymoon. Now Maggie and Mike have to take care of Courtney. The next day Maggie puts Courtney on the school bus and she never came back home that day. Now she is getting mystery phone calls, and she doesn't know what to do.
Find out what will happen next.
I recommend this book to people who like mystery books.

NOT A VERY GOOD BOOK!
I guess this wasnt the type of book for me... it was boring, not surprising, and it felt like 3 months had gone by since i started the book (took me 2 weeks to read)! If i hadn't had to read this for school I would've never finished it!

The Truth Hurts
This story takes place in different place's cause two siblings(Mike and Maggie) go around and get shocked and scared a few times. It's a big city, and lot's of witnesses.

This book is about Courtnay Louis Ellis (4) gets kidnapped while going into school, and Maggie (14) is trying to get her mom out of the frame to prove she didn't do it. Maggie is also getting disturbing calls. But no ransom note or call shows up yet and the parents are on vacation.

In my opinion this story is fantastic and it puts you in suspense!
It will consume you. I could not stop reading it for nothing.

I would recommend this book because its suspenseful, entertaining, dramatic, and realistic. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Reclaiming Children and Youth, published by Reclaiming Children and Youth on June 22, 2010. The length of the article is 2635 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Missing data: discovering the private logic of adult-wary youth: the best expert on a troubled youth is that young person, but often that voice is silenced and hidden behind angry, avoidant, or manipulative behavior. The author is a former troubled youth who is now a university professor who trains professionals to connect with challenging children and youth.(voices of youth)(Viewpoint essay)
Author: John Seita
Publication: Reclaiming Children and Youth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2010
Publisher: Reclaiming Children and Youth
Volume: 19Issue: 2Page: 51(4)

Article Type: Viewpoint essay

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
An abandoned car. A wallet and a cell phone left inside. Blood on the fender. And not a trace of the seventeen-year-old driver. Now four years have passed since Katherine Sampson disappeared, and those who loved her are just beginning to put back the pieces of their lives. Some can’t quite forget her, some can’t quite forgive her, and one won’t stop until he finds her. A glimpse of a familiar face in a Manhattan pub reignites Trent Carter’s search for the girl he can’t let go. The closer he gets to the truth, the more he begins to realize everything he once feared. How much does life change in the course of four years? Can you go back to the way it was? Would you want to? ... Read more

Product Description
Kyoichi Utsume, known as "His Majesty, Lord of Darkness" by his peers in the occult-obsessed Literature Club, has disappeared, and his closest friends decide to find him. The boys and girls split up, but each group discovers a remarkably similar truth about Kyoichi's condition. Who may have captured him, and is this person trying to send a message from a ghostly "other side"? As each group searches for the answers, they may learn more about Kyoichi's past than they bargained for... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

quite boring...
When first read the summary, I think this manga will be good. However, the second volume is nothing more just some darkness of the past. It explained about the characters' childhood moment and other stuffs that created a result in first volume. Honestly, I don't feel any interesting of following the story to the end. ... Read more

Product Description
When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes,discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on ajourney to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare herfor what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involvedin the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderousvillains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers—all whileattempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance.Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode thenecessary clues and find her mother? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

A Classic Springer Adventure
As a long-time fan of Nancy Springer's works, I was delighted when I stumbled upon the Enola Holmes series. Not only did it fit right in with my Sherlock-Holmes jonesing, but I fondly recalled Springer's habits of creating exciting female leads in a world otherwise run by the men-folk; something that is more than a little hard to find for the young lady bibliophile. There's nothing wrong with Sherlock, Jem, and Dante, of course...it's just nice to have someone a little easier to relate to in the estrogen department, every once in a while.

In the Enola Holmes series, Madame Springer provides her usual intriguing story and enjoyable characters. The original character feels less shoe-horned into the borrowed canon world than some of her others have (Rowan Hood, for example, who was thoroughly enjoyable but made no real sense in regards to the original Robin Hood tales). Enola is witty, stubborn, and capable. All improvements on the typical 'distressed female' that come both from the Holmes era and a great deal of modern-day whinier 'heroines' that seem to be creeping into the business.

Where the book fails is, ironically, the injections of thorough historical fact. The plot is broken up by almost random paragraphs explaining the laws of female accompaniment, what kind of boots that lady is wearing and why, whence this and that came about and how it matters...it was almost difficult in some places to resist the urge to skip forward several paragraphs until a character's name pops up, signaling the return to actual story. Given that this is a Holmes-inspired mystery, you might miss an important detail.

Also problematic is the uncharacteristic role of Mycroft as the jerk older brother who wants to ship Enola off to a nasty school to take care of her while Mum is away. Granted, Enola needed the motivation to take off on her own, and given the Victorian rules (which we are reminded of repeatedly) it would have to be someone in her own family to give her the send off, and of course we wouldn't want Sherlock to be the elected misogynist, but it still comes off as a forced characterisation.

Despite these flaws, the adventure Enola embarks on, and all those following, are fun at the very least, invigorating at the most generous. I cannot think of anyone I would strongly dissuade from reading. Perhaps this series could even be a lead-in to Enola's big brother's stories. Either way, it is worth a look.

An R-rated mystery for kids under 10?
I picked up The Case of the Missing Marquess in the library to read aloud to my daughter, who's seven now but has been enjoying mysteries since she was four, when we started reading Nancy Drew to her. On page 3, we read about a (live) prostitute with haggard eyes and anotherwho "was recently found dead a few streets away, slit wide open." OK, so we stopped right there. I don't want that image even for myself -- not to mention to have to explain it to a kid and embed it in her very literal imagination. So while the book may be acclaimed by many of its readers and be advertised for kids 9-13, I would *definitely* put the lower limit on this book higher than age 9.

The case of Sherlock Holmes missing younger sister! Whodathunkit?
Pitched at a reading level slightly higher than the justifiably famous Nancy Drew series, "The Case of the Missing Marquess" introduces young readers (who I predict will be thrilled to their toes) to Enola Holmes, the hitherto unknown, late-arriving younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes.

Having just turned 14 years old, Enola discovers that her mother has disappeared leaving no clue as to her whereabouts. She is torn between loving devotion and worry for her mother's welfare and a deep sense of anger and disappointment at the possibility that her mother has simply left and abandoned her to her own devices. When she calls for the assistance of her two brilliant older brothers, she is horrified to discover that, having failed dismally to discover what happened to their mother, they mean to take over her life and force her to attend a stultifying boarding school for gentle young ladies.

Picking up the thread of the investigation herself, Enola quickly determines that her mother has left her coded clues as to her conduct. Enola also uncovers a significant stash of money which her mother had effectivelyl embezzled from the household accounts over a period of many years. When Enola also flies the coop cleverly disguised as a grieving wife in widow's weeds, she heads for London to find her mother and to evade her brothers' clutches and the impending spectre of boredom at boarding school.

The pedal goes to the metal and the story accelerates into high gear when Enola, far from maintaining a low profile and an effective disguise, finds herself involved in the kidnapping of Viscount Tewksbury, who is being held on a boat moored in the Thames River by a couple of very nasty thugs.

Despite being fiction aimed at younger readers, "The Case of the Missing Marquess" is engaging historical fiction which focuses on two main components of Victorian life - the seamier side of the Thames dockside district and the trials and tribulations faced by the feminine half of the population. As a character, Enola is exceptionally well developed. She exemplifies that baffling and ultimately paradoxical teenage blend of cock-sure bravado and angst and uncertainty; incipient adulthood contrasted against an occasional reversion to childhood fear; and, of course, self-direction and self-confidence versus the obvious desire for occasional adult guidance and assistance. Enola's budding femininity is also charmingly and endearingly presented in wonderfully good taste with all due regard to Victorian sensibilities. Sherlock, Mycroft and Lestrade, far from being satirized or poorly handled, conduct themselves exactly as any fan would think they might do faced with the situation of a missing mother and a worried younger sister.

What a great start to a new and exciting series. I'll definitely look forward to the next instalment. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Sherlock had better watch out, his sister's on the loose!
Women have always upset Sherlock Holmes's equilibrium (see Irene Adler from the original short stories or Mary Russell from Laurie R. King's fantastic mystery series). Holmes's family background is one aspect of his life that has received scant, if any, attention in the various Holmes pastiches that have appeared over the years. In the first Enola Holmes mystery, Nancy Springer dares to imagine a most unconventional mother and much-younger sister for the famed detective, both highly unconventional women well capable of throwing his order-loving world slightly off-kilter.

Fourteen-year-old Enola has never known her considerably older brothers. She's lived a relatively secluded life with her mother on the family estate, convinced her brothers want nothing to do with her because of the gossip surrounding the fact that she was an "unexpected" addition to the family. However, all of Enola's assumptions about her life and family change when her birthday arrives and her mother vanishes. When Sherlock and Mycroft descend on the estate in search of their wayward parent, Enola discovers the family dynamic is far more complicated than she'd ever surmised. And while she craves a relationship with her brothers, Enola quickly realizes that she has little desire to acquiesce to their plans for her future - and if their mother is to be found, she must be the one to do the finding. Armed with her mother's last gift - a cryptic book of ciphers - Enola sets out to make her way in the world and finds herself in more danger than she could've possibly imagined, needing all her untapped skill as a member of the Holmes clan in order to survive.

The character of Enola is an absolute gem. She's got spunk and gumption, and as a woman has a special set of skills and insight that her famous brother lacks, thanks to his rather dim view of the "fairer" sex (my favorite Sherlock quote is when he refers to Enola's "limited cranial capacity" - ouch!). Springer includes lots of interesting info about ciphers and the language of flowers, the knowledge of which helps set Enola apart from her family and make up her own special skill set.The Missing Marquess is an all-too quick, but thoroughly absorbing read. Springer packs a lot of atmosphere and detail into each chapter, resulting in one of the best YA reads I've come across. I cannot wait to discover the further adventures of the one and only Enola Holmes!

Quite enjoyable first case for Sherlock and Mycroft's little sister
I'll readily admit that I bought this because I liked the idea of a mystery series with Sherlock Holmes' little sister as the protagonist. And I was not disappointed. Nancy Springer has taken on a fine Victorian voice for this series and Enola is intrepid, bright, curious, logical, and a lot of fun to follow around.

Granted, we run ahead of her a bit in catching some clues, which is really the only fault I give this. The pace is nice. The riddles to be solved are fun to work through. And knowing that Sherlock and Mycroft are there, secondarily, is part of the thrill.

In this, her first case, there are two disappearances for Enola Holmes to solves--her mother's and a young aristocrat's. The first is obviously quite personal and painful, but it's also mentally stimulating and well-motivated. We learn, through Enola's own actions and worries and woes, just how restricted life was for ladies of her time.

A very good start to a series that is not just for kids. Adults can enjoy this, too. ... Read more

Product Description
Why is it that whenever new opportunities for adult learners are provided it is mostly women who take advantage of them?Evidence from the field suggests that people working in some areas of post-compulsory education and training are becoming increasingly concerned at the low participation of some groups of men. Manual workers, African-Caribbean men, disaffected young men and men aged over 40 are largely under-represented in most areas of education and training. Information on what has been successful in attracting male learners is scarce.Drawing on research into the views and attitudes of men and the views of practitioners, the study examines the reasons for male participation and sets these in the context of the social, cultural and economic changes of the last few decades. It then goes on to describe particular approaches that have been used to overcome the barriers that deter men from taking part in education and training opportunities.The book will be of interest to all working in the field of adult education and training as well as to those working with men in a wide range of statutory and voluntary organisations. ... Read more

Product Description
A fantastic climax to the Missing Link trilogy Origins is written as two intertwined, parallel narratives. The first, which takes the form of a diary written by Christie at Fourth World around the year 2009, follows the fortunes of Maggie and Bernard and their assorted group of children and gifted animals. The stone which Christie has carried back from the yeti's cave (see Only Human) proves fatal. It releases an alien presence (the Yoke) which takes over the smallholding and laboratory of Fourth World and by its efforts to return to its own planet, destroys both human beings and the environment worldwide. There are few survivors but of those who do remain, two are newborn twins, Ogden and Atticus, who carry a dog and cat gene, the latest and last experiment by Maggie and Bernard in their genetic engineering research. The second narrative takes place far into the future, in a changed world where nuclear devastation and disease has reduced mankind virtually to the stone age scenario. Nessa and Farral from the warring Cat and Dog tribes are thrown together and eventually become tolerant of each other in their travels across wild mountains and nuclear waste.Terminating their journey among a small group of inhabitants in the very far north, they find that Christie's diary has survived and been preserved by this group of people. It is of course the key to the reader of this 'new world' set up. An extraordinary and compelling resolution to the story. Kate Thompson's final volume in the Missing Link trilogy is startlingly dramatic in construction and disturbingly thought provoking in content. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Librarian's Perspective
Many Ian Slaters live within his young body.There's School Ian, who tries to please his principal father and the teachers though he knows he isn't well liked.There's Home Ian, who works hard to please his exacting father and suffers in silence when he does not. There's even an Ian for the times he spends with Teddy Camden, his best friend. Ian doesn't acknowledge 'Luke' who keeps him together through the toughest times.

And those tough times are what this book's about.Teddy's missing and everyone suspects Ian.Daytime, his classmates' accusing eyes follow Ian around. Nights, he dreams of Teddy being alive and needing help while he's locked in the closet.

Ian desperately wants to find Teddy so he can be a hero and please his father.As time wears on, the images of his dreams become more real and the danger to him is much greater.Will he be able to resolve his issues in time to help his friend?

"Picture Perfect" is a very well done young adult novel suitable for grades 9 to 12.I'd probably recommend this to better readers as even I found the appearance of 'Luke' at first confusing.

The author wrote very realistically about child abuse and the dissociation that happens when a child is traumatized as Ian was.This book could very well be an excellent resource for abuse counselors as well as teachers and librarians hoping to reach young audiences.

Picture Perfect
Genre: Fiction Mystery

Short Summary: This story is about two kids that go to get some pictures of some trees out in the forest. The two friends Ian and Teddy were going to meet at the forest his friend didnt showed up he got lost.

What I Liked most about the book: Its kind of like suspense that a kid got lost.

Favorite Character: Ian is favorite character because his kind of smart.

A line on the book that means something to me: A new Idea explodes like a flash going of in my brain. Page # 56

What I Would say about this book to someone else: I would say that it was kind of boring because the author wrote something that didnt make sence like voices in the woods.

One question I have after reading this book: Why was there voices on woods that ian heard.

My strongest reason for recommending this book: You should read it if you like fiction with a little of suspence and mystery.

A great book
Picture Perfect

Elaine Marie Alphin

4 out of 5

Ian Slater's best friend Teddy is gone. One minute Teddy was there and the next he was gone. Now that nobody knows what happened to Teddy; the people in the small town of Sawville start wondering if Ian is as good a guy as he seems. Ian doesn't know what happened to Teddy either but he is determined to find out. On the path to find his friend he finds out more about his father, his other friends, Teddy, some of the residents of Sawville, and even himself.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was mysterious, realistic, and quite a page turner. The ending wasn't what I had expected and I was shocked to find out what happened to Teddy.

If you are the kind of person who likes stories of other people`s realistic problems and like to read mystery book than this is a book for you.

If You Like Mysteries Then You'll Like This Book
Teddy Camden and Ian Slater are best friends. One day Teddy doesn't come home and no one knows where hre is. Ian thinks Teddy left him a message but doesn't know who to tell, or who to trust because it seems like everyone he trusts is dissappearing. Teddy needs Ian to find him, but Ian doesn't know where to look. Also they think that Ian had something to do with Teddy dissappearing. I liked this book because it left you wondering so you had to read more. The thing I didn't like was that some of it was confusing.

Captivating
This book kept me reading from beginning to end. I loved every minute of it! The mysteries kept from best friends keeps going on and on. Ian's abusive father, Teddy's obssession with finding his father, there are even some things that they don't know about themselves! A great story of determination fear and friendships. I read this for a school book report and I'm glad I came across it. For those of you who have finished this wonderful novel, it kind of makes you think of what's going on in your own head, huh? :-D! ... Read more

Product Description
comic ... Read more

Product Description
This new series of nonfiction readers will grab a student's interest from the very first page! Designed with reluctant readers in mind, these riveting 64-page softcover books offer short chapters on high-interest headlines. Each chapter is its own mini-book, which includes a timeline, key terms, and interesting facts. Fascinating black and white photographs keep the pages turning. A bibliography encourages further topical reading.\n\nWhen something or someone turns up missing, it is unexpected-often even a gripping mystery. Law enforcement professionals are skilled at tracking the missing. Sometimes, however, a disappearance is inexplicable. A spacecraft disappears millions of miles from Earth. A ship or plane vanishes in the Bermuda Triangle. What explains these mysteries? ... Read more