YA ARC Review: Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist

Missing, Presumed Dead
Author: Emma Berquist
Publication: Greenwillow Books (May 21, 2019)

Description: When eighteen-year-old Lexi foresees the brutal murder of a young woman outside a club in downtown L.A., she is powerless to stop it.

But then the girl’s ghost appears, seeking vengeance, and Lexi is swept into a dangerous search that could put her directly in the path of a serial killer. From the author of Devils Unto Dust, this fast-paced and literary thriller will haunt fans of Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious and Karen M. McManus’s One of Us Is Lying. 

With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it’s a gift. But to Lexi it’s a curse—one that keeps her friendless and alone. All that changes when Lexi foresees the violent death of a young woman, Jane, outside a club.

Jane doesn’t go to the afterlife quietly. Her ghost remains behind, determined to hunt down her murderer, and she needs Lexi’s help. In life, Jane was everything Lexi is not—outgoing, happy, popular. But in death, all Jane wants is revenge.

Lexi will do anything to help Jane, to make up for the fact that she didn’t—couldn’t—save Jane’s life, and to keep this beautiful ghost of a girl by her side for as long as possible.

Emma Berquist’s second novel is a haunting and atmospheric murder mystery that tackles themes of depression, loneliness, love, and identity. This high-concept novel is for fans of Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

My Thoughts: Lexi has a psychic gift that forces her to see how and when anyone will die if she touches them. She thinks of it as a curse. She is achingly lonely and hungry for touch but each touch means pain. When she accidentally brushes up against a young woman outside the club where she works, she sees the girl's brutal death and it makes her sick.

When she learns that the girl is missing as are quite a few other young people who were last seen near the club, Lexi goes looking for her ghost and she finds it. Jane is filled with rage but doesn't remember how she came to be did. She has no memory of her murderer. This is the first strange thing because, in Lexi's previous experience, ghosts do remember how they died. Lexi promises to help Jane find out who killed her and takes her home with her.

Lexi already lives with a ghost named Trevor who died in a car accident. She is hoping that Trevor can help Jane adjust to being dead. Lexi also feels very close to Jane. And she can touch ghosts. But ghosts do have a habit of moving on, either to explore the world or to go on to the next world. Falling in love with a ghost won't really help Lexi's loneliness ... or will it?

This was an excellent story. I liked the world of supernaturals that the author built. I liked that the negatives of psychic abilities made up a big part of the story. The mystery was engaging as Lexi and Jane track down her murderer. The writing was descriptive and emotionally engaging. I couldn't put it down.

Favorite Quote:

It shouldn't hurt anymore. I thought I made my peace with this a long time ago. But it's loneliness that's scraping out my organs, ancient and unmistakable. I shouldn't have let them in, shouldn't have gotten used to the warmth at my back, a voice in my ear. It hurts worse now, because I know what I've lost.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.