"Kira's first-person narration will grip readers... An engaging, clever, suspenseful story in which readers—especially dog-loving teens—will easily lose themselves."— Kirkus Reviews
"With brilliant characters and a jaw-dropping mystery, Jennifer Lynn Barnes weaves a thriller as majestic and dangerous as the national park she used for the setting."— New York Times best-selling author E. K. Johnston
"Knife-edged suspense, a fantastic, plot, and authentic characters—both human and canine. The Lovely and the Lost grips you from the first page and holds you until the very end."— New York Times best-selling author Allison Brennan
"A propulsive mystery-thriller about the dark things that happen in the woods. The Lovely and the Lost makes you feel the urgency of a search ad rescue, while laying the clues for a twisted crime. You will cling to this book until you reach the end."— Maureen Johnson, New York Times best-selling author of Truly Devious and 13 Little Blue Envelopes
The Lovely and the Lost
Narrated by Emily Lawrence
Jennifer Lynn BarnesUnabridged — 8 hours, 29 minutes
The Lovely and the Lost
Narrated by Emily Lawrence
Jennifer Lynn BarnesUnabridged — 8 hours, 29 minutes
Audiobook (Digital)
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Overview
Kira Bennett's earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs found her. Adopted into the Bennett family, Kira still struggles with human interaction years later, but she excels at the family business: search-and-rescue. Along with Cady's son, Jude, and their neighbor, Free, Kira works alongside Cady to train the world's most elite search-and-rescue dogs. Someday, all three teenagers hope to put their skills to use, finding the lost and bringing them home.
But when Cady's estranged father, the enigmatic Bales Bennett, tracks his daughter down and asks for her help in locating a missing child-one of several visitors who has disappeared in the Sierra Glades National Park in the past twelve months-the teens find themselves on the frontlines sooner than they could have ever expected. As the search through 750,000 acres of unbridled wilderness intensifies, Kira becomes obsessed with finding the missing child. She knows all too well what it's like to be lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival, alone.
But this case isn't simple. There is more afoot than a single, missing girl, and Kira's memories threaten to overwhelm her at every turn. As the danger mounts and long-held family secrets come to light, Kira is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her adopted family, her true nature, and her past.
Editorial Reviews
06/14/2019
Gr 7 Up-Kira's adopted mom, Cady, is famous in the world of search-and-rescue, and Kira herself is a rising star. So when Cady's estranged father shows up to beg for his daughter's help finding a missing girl, Cady feels obligated. Kira, her foster brother Jude, their friend Free, and the dogs they train pack up and head to Cady's hometown where it appears that everyone is hiding a secret, especially a boy who seems to know much more than he is willing to share. As time passes and the search becomes more desperate, Kira finds herself battling painful memories of when she was a child lost in the woods. Barnes sensitively addresses Kira's childhood trauma, as well as her resulting anxiety. In addition, thoughtful research into the world of search-and-rescue will leave animal lovers in awe of the canine heroes in this book, and the twist-heavy, suspenseful plot will keep reluctant readers tuned in. However, Kira's first-person exposition at the beginning of the book leaves many of the characters underdeveloped. VERDICT Purchase where Barnes's "Naturals" series is popular.-Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School, WA
Emily Lawrence narrates Kira’s story in a deliberate tone that belies the trauma the teen has kept buried. Her earliest memories are of being young and alone and lost in the woods before being found by Cady Bennett and her search-and-rescue dogs. Now, another little girl, Bella, is lost in the wilderness, and as Kira and her team rush to find the child, the past resurfaces. Lawrence delivers Kira’s thoughts and dialogue in the clipped voice of someone who is determined to hold herself together and to prove she is ready to take part in a life-or-death operation. As the search intensifies, Lawrence weaves Kira’s powerful reawakened memories into Kira’s careful narrative. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-02-10
A young woman revisits her own traumatic past when she helps search for a missing little girl in this psychological thriller.
Kira has lived with her caring foster mom, Cady, a rescue dog trainer, and her goofy foster brother, Jude, since she was found in the woods as a child. She's developed close relationships with both of them and with their spirited neighbor, Free, though in many ways it's the dogs they train to whom she feels the strongest kinship. Her world is shaken to its core, however, when Cady's long-estranged father, Bales, suddenly appears and they get pulled into the search effort in Sierra Glades National Park, which borders Cady's hometown. Kira's first-person narration will grip readers as she experiences troubling flashbacks to her own long-ago ordeal that progressively ratchet the tension of this mystery up as it unfolds. Leisurely paced, the slow build allows for the introduction of an array of somewhat unevenly developed characters, including a teen named Gabriel who lives with Bales, has been in legal trouble, and whose own family history is mired in secrets. The penultimate denouement will likely take readers by surprise as the plot detours into an unpredictable twist. All main characters are assumed white except for Gabriel, who is Latinx.
An engaging, clever, suspenseful story in which readers—especially dog-loving teens—will easily lose themselves. (Thriller. 12-18)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169552706 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 05/07/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 12 - 17 Years |
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