Jennifer Lane's Reviews > Missing Melissa

Missing Twin Haunts Her Sister’s Dreams

Maddie is a gorgeous blond twenty-two-year-old about to start her career in broadcast journalism when she has a dream. A disturbing dream. She dreams her twin sister, who went missing when they were three years old, is still alive, and needs Maddie’s help.

Her parents don’t want to re-open the case, fearing they will crack open old wounds. But are they hiding something?

I thought this was a well-written mystery. Where is Melissa? Is she alive? Has she been hurt? There’s misdirection that prevented me from guessing the ending.

Maddie’s surrounded by some fun, opinionated characters, like her best friend Ruby and her dog Pepper.

I wish I didn’t have a missing sister. I wish everything was normal. But Ruby says normal is a setting on a washing machine and not what our lives are supposed to be.

Amen, Ruby! And I love Maddie’s dog Pepper. That dog’s got a lot of sass.

I remember when my parents surprised me with Pepper five years ago. He was a baby, so small and cute. I wanted to dress him up, too. I’ll never forget approaching him with an adorable pullover sweater. He snatched it with his teeth and ripped it to pieces. That was the end of any ideas about dressing up Pepper.

Ha! Maddie meets Detective Sam while pursuing her missing sister. He’s a hottie who’s sweet and steady.

”Well, one good thing has come out of all of this,” Ruby says.

“What’s that?” Sam and I ask at the same time.

“I finally got to meet Sexy Sam.”

I narrow my eyes at Ruby and try to change the subject. “So, where do we go from here?” I ask.

“No, not so fast,” Sam says. “What’s this Sexy Sam all about?” he asks, laughing.

While I loved the plot, I didn’t find the dialogue realistic. It seemed dated and cheesy to me. Characters speak in long paragraphs, and call each other by their full names to chastise each other ”Madeleine Louise Patterson!” There are exchanges like these that felt clichéd to me:

”Last one there’s a rotten egg,” my father says, leaving us behind.

“Your father’s a trip sometimes,” Ruby says under her breath.

“I heard that, Ruby,” my father says.

The living room fills with laughter.

(My observations on dialogue are a personal preference that other readers might not notice.)

I am glad I had the opportunity to read this page turner, which ends on a hopeful note.