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Never Missing, Never Found    by Amanda Panitch Amazon.com order for
Never Missing, Never Found
by Amanda Panitch
Order:  USA  Can
Random House, 2016 (2016)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto

Never Missing, Never Found shares some similarities with Amanda Panitch's first novel, Damage Done, but is a wholly unique work. Panitch has a definite style, and it is a great one for YA suspense.

Scarlett Contreras just wants to forget her past. It has been five years since she escaped from Stepmother's house, but the scars are still raw. She feels like she might finally be moving on when she takes a job at Five Banners, an amusement park centered around her favorite superhero, Skywoman. On her first day, she finds out that the girl who interviewed her, Monica, is missing. This reawakens memories as Scarlett begins flashing back to her four years as a missing person.

When another employee, Katarina, begins using odd sayings that Scarlett only ever heard from the other girl kept in captivity with her, Pixie, she begins to get paranoid. Pixie died five years ago, so how can Katarina sound so much like her? And why does Katarina want to hang out so much with Scarlett's distant sister, Melody? As the conclusion builds, it turns out things are so much more than they seem.

Having read Panitch before, I knew there was going to be a killer twist. I did figure it out before it was revealed, but there were plenty of times Panitch had me questioning my thinking. Also, nothing could have prepared me for the resolution. Panitch keeps the pace going and the reader guessing, and will definitely blow your mind a time or two.

With deep characters and a highly engaging plot, Never Missing, Never Found is exactly what a YA suspense should be. Amanda Panitch has found her niche and hopefully will stay there for a long time.

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