WHEN SHE WAS GONE

A teenage girl goes missing, and the reader learns the intertwining stories of her family and neighbors.

The author’s knowledge of and love for music are evident in the chapters told from the perspective of the missing girl’s next-door neighbor, Mr. Leonard, a retired music teacher and pianist. Readers who love Liszt, Chopin, Brahms and other classical composers will find their reading experience enhanced. The stories revolve around childhood difficulties, parenting difficulties and the companionship (or lack thereof) in marriages, as well as the various kinds of secrets that people keep. The author creates a mystery surrounding the whereabouts and fate of the unusually mature 17-year-old Linsey. Along the way, other mysteries and conflicts are raised and resolved, all with an eye toward offering insights into relationships: relationships with loved ones, relationships with neighbors, relationships with those we might not ordinarily notice or care about. 

Death, life, redemption and music combine in a rewarding novel.