Reconstructed

by Nicole M. Taylor

At 21 years old, college junior Andrea Ward is driven, serious and haunted. A decade before, her younger brother vanished without a trace, long presumed to be a victim of the ruthless child murderer, the West Allertown Bogeyman. When the killer’s execution date draws near, however, new information about another unsolved case suggests that everything Andrea knows about her brother’s disappearance might be wrong.

Gnawing questions force Andrea to return to her hometown and to dig deep into the most painful part of her past in a quest to put her brother’s ghost to rest once and for all.

208 pages, ebook

Published December 15, 2016

About the author

Nicole M. Taylor was an only child, born deep in the corn-ears of rural Michigan where she honed her talents for being supercilious, eating pop-tarts and making up strange fictional situations.

Today, she lives in San Jose with her husband and a small fetal alien named Magoo. She writes speculative fiction about witches, ghosts, robots, reptoid aliens and pianists. She also works occasionally as a ghostwriter, collaborating on everything from historical memoirs to medical thrillers.

Her first YA book series, Bots, is available from Epic Press in August, 2015.

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm super excited to have purchased this series for the library and I'm finally diving into the books. I only brought one home, but I am going to read the rest. The book is quick to get through making it great for the HS reluctant reader and super awesome for our projects with the forensics classes because the main character is not only going to college for criminology, but she's also intimately involved in a crime that occurred against her brother.

The characters are well-drawn and it is an equal mix of the family case and Andrea's own work with portraiture as she studies criminals. The mystery is easy to follow and the case of whodunit is typical but intriguing. While it might be unsurprising, it isn't dull.

And what makes the book is the afterword where Taylor discusses race in crime and investigation and the real-world "child killers". It was superbly done and I'm more intrigued. Can't wait to share widely and it helps to have a fun cover that ties them all together with "Killers" in full-view- talk about one that'll fly off the shelves because we all have a bit of Law & Order in us.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too edgy for my taste but a good strong story. Easy to read and plot driven. Good character development, impressive given the length of the book. Reads like true crime stories. Recommended for readers looking for a straightforward story.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has so many unnecessary things going on, for example the fact that we get a POV perspective from pedo parris detailing the sexual abuse of his neices, how wonderful. You quite literally could have done something not only less disgusting, but more creative. The story was an interesting idea but little was done to explore the ideas that were half baked into the plot. Not to mention there were just so many points that were just not added till the end such as Isahiahs mental disability.

[Larena · Rating 5 out of 5]

PG: PARENTAL ADVISORY: Conflict and Aggression are limited or moderate. May contain mild profanity suggestive language and brief scenes of nudity.

E:Easy: 3rd grade Vocabulary

Method: Physical Book

Location: Chautaugua-Cattaraugus Library System

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great entry into this series perfect for true crime fans. All of the books do contain profanity, drug and alcohol use, and depictions of violence so they are definitely more appropriate for high school readers. This one is a fictionalized twist on the Atlanta Child Murders.