THE NIGHT MY SISTER WENT MISSING by Carol Plum-Ucci
Category: Mystery/Thriller
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 10/06
Publisher: Harcourt
Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer
Rating: 5 Stars
Carol Plum-Ucci is a phenomenal writer who mixes elements of thrillers, mysteries, and problem novels with
great success. In her latest, THE NIGHT MY SISTER WENT MISSING, she covers familiar territory from
earlier novels without costing the story a suspenseful edge or satisfying conclusion. With her usual cast of
sympathetic characters, readers are drawn into the story and feel as if they have a stake in the outcome.
The narrator, Kurt Carmody, learns the details of his sister's disappearance while eavesdropping on an
interrogation room at police headquarters. Although there were many people there when Casey Carmody
vanished, including Kurt himself, each witness' testimony is limited by personal bias against the main suspect,
Stacy Kearn. Stacy and her father appear to be guilty of several crimes as well as an assortment of
inappropriate personality quirks. Yet readers are wise not to rush to judgment in the story. No one and nothing
is as it appears, neither those under suspicion for Casey's disappearance nor those who rush to help her and
claim innocence. Like her earlier novels, particularly THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED and WHAT
HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER, Plum-Ucci creates a realistic sense of community guilt for the mysterious,
tragic events in the lives of teenagers. Those who are viewed as outsiders and are made to feel unwelcome
suffer for the intolerance of others. This message rings through the novels closing chapters without
overpowering the reader.
As in previous novels, the author tackles community myths and legends in order to show that there's usually a
logical reason behind so-called paranormal events. Although the ghost of a suicide victim is given short-play
in this novel, this subplot is engaging enough to leave the reader in doubt about the nature of Casey's
disappearance until the novel's conclusion. There may be no better mystery writer in today's market for
maintaining tension without sacrificing realistic endings than Ms. Plum-Ucci.
Five stars. Highly recommended.
Category: Mystery/Thriller
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 10/06
Publisher: Harcourt
Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer
Rating: 5 Stars
Carol Plum-Ucci is a phenomenal writer who mixes elements of thrillers, mysteries, and problem novels with
great success. In her latest, THE NIGHT MY SISTER WENT MISSING, she covers familiar territory from
earlier novels without costing the story a suspenseful edge or satisfying conclusion. With her usual cast of
sympathetic characters, readers are drawn into the story and feel as if they have a stake in the outcome.
The narrator, Kurt Carmody, learns the details of his sister's disappearance while eavesdropping on an
interrogation room at police headquarters. Although there were many people there when Casey Carmody
vanished, including Kurt himself, each witness' testimony is limited by personal bias against the main suspect,
Stacy Kearn. Stacy and her father appear to be guilty of several crimes as well as an assortment of
inappropriate personality quirks. Yet readers are wise not to rush to judgment in the story. No one and nothing
is as it appears, neither those under suspicion for Casey's disappearance nor those who rush to help her and
claim innocence. Like her earlier novels, particularly THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED and WHAT
HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER, Plum-Ucci creates a realistic sense of community guilt for the mysterious,
tragic events in the lives of teenagers. Those who are viewed as outsiders and are made to feel unwelcome
suffer for the intolerance of others. This message rings through the novels closing chapters without
overpowering the reader.
As in previous novels, the author tackles community myths and legends in order to show that there's usually a
logical reason behind so-called paranormal events. Although the ghost of a suicide victim is given short-play
in this novel, this subplot is engaging enough to leave the reader in doubt about the nature of Casey's
disappearance until the novel's conclusion. There may be no better mystery writer in today's market for
maintaining tension without sacrificing realistic endings than Ms. Plum-Ucci.
Five stars. Highly recommended.
The Night My Sister Went Missing
by Carol Plum-Ucci
by Carol Plum-Ucci