Best-selling children’s author and co-host of the ‘Your Kid’s Next Read’ podcast, A.L. Tait’s latest middle-grade mystery explores the intergenerational impacts of a young woman’s disappearance. Readers ten years and older who enjoy mystery and suspense, or who have ever felt burdened by a weighty family obligation, will enjoy this gripping, and often tender, story.
Fourteen-year-old Sam, alongside his brother and cousins, has grown up in the shadow of his missing aunt, who disappeared during the opening night of her own play almost 30 years ago. When Sam’s mum insists the town plans an anniversary production of the play (in the hope it will jog memories and finally lead to a breakthrough in the case) Sam is reluctantly recruited as a member of the cast.
After a series of strange accidents convinces Sam someone is deliberately sabotaging the play in order to suppress the truth about his aunt’s disappearance, Sam and his cousins begin their own investigation – discovering secrets someone is willing to go to any lengths to protect.
From Sam’s close friendship with his twin cousins (no one else really understands what it’s like growing up with a missing family member) through to Sam’s struggles balancing his desire for answers with the pain he knows his questions may cause the people he loves, ‘The Garden of Lost Girls’ is a suspenseful mystery with nuance and heart.
This is a story with wide appeal – perfect for readers who love theatre or small-town settings through to anyone who has been forced well outside their comfort zone in the service of a loved one. Fans of Kathryn Lefroy’s ‘The Secret of the Stone’ or Tristan Bank’s ‘Scar Town’ will also find this a highly satisfying next read.
