“The Leaving” is the story of 6 kindergarteners who went missing following a school shooting and are gone for 11 years. However, when they finally return, there are only 5 and none of them remembers who they are or where they’ve been. As they struggle to recall what their lives were like for the past 11 years, they uncover secrets about their past through the clues they left for themselves, including what happened to the 6th missing child.

The plot of the mystery is fairly good, though not entirely believable at times. The pacing is off as well, sometimes leaving gaps in the story related to the time it takes to do certain things. Of course, with a little suspension of disbelief, the story is interesting with plenty of twists and turns. There are clues sprinkled throughout, but it is always clear where the story will ultimately end. The Red Herrings add flavor, but aren’t enough to lead the reader astray. I also couldn’t really relate to the young adult / teenage love triangle drama. Many characters seem petty and vapid, a classic teenage trope, I suppose. Other characters are completely one-dimensional and lack any character development through the story.

Overall, it was an interesting, if not surprising, mystery story for young adult readers. Good progression of clue-following and the conclusion was generally satisfying, though predictable and light on the “wow factor.” Probably not enough impact for detective story junkies.

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Created Sep 07, 2020 at 11:57am • Submit your own review...