Come Find Me

November 5, 2018
Kennedy Jones, 16, and Nolan Chandler, 17, have suffered tragic losses. Two years ago, Nolan’s brother Liam disappeared without a trace from a family picnic at the Freedom Battleground State Park, just after Nolan had a premonition about it. And six months ago, Kennedy’s mother was killed in her home, which abuts the same park. The two cross paths when they independently begin to investigate a strange signal picked up by Kennedy’s brother’s satellite and Nolan’s EMF reader. Finding each other on a SETI message board, the two join forces to find the signal’s provenance, each hoping that it will lead them to answers about their family members. Miranda (Fragments of the Lost) weaves a convincing tale of teens grasping at straws to make sense of personal tragedies. The well-paced mystery unfolds carefully, with Kennedy and Nolan slowly doling out information to readers that leads to the surprising truth. While much of the plot depends on coincidence, robust characters with fully formed backstories keep the story sufficiently grounded, excusing some of the more implausible developments. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary.