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    Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three
    Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three
    Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three
    Ebook51 pages1 hour

    Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three

    By Jamie Freveletti

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Sebastian Ryan, a risk analyst, has disappeared. Emma Caldridge saved him once, and in a moment of foresight he's left a note asking her to save him again. And she knows where to look. Driving into Sunrise City, Utah, a town controlled by a fundamentalist cult, she's already picked up a tail—from the local sheriff. As Emma begins to track Ryan's kidnappers, she learns that Sunrise City's outwardly pious appearance hides a dark secret, and when she derails an unspeakable ritual, she sets the entire town against her.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 2, 2013
    ISBN9780062264749
    Gone: An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three
    Author

    Jamie Freveletti

    Jamie Freveletti is a former trial lawyer, martial artist, and runner. She is the author of four books in her own Emma Caldridge series as well as Robert Ludlum's Covert One novel, The Janus Reprisal. She lives in Chicago.

    Read more from Jamie Freveletti

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    Reviews for Gone

    4/5

    1,203 ratings124 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Readers Annotation: Sam is sitting in class when all of a sudden the teacher disappears before their eyes. With the whole population under 14 years old the world begins to fall apart. Plot Summary:Everyone over the age of fourteen disappears. Everyone else disappears on their fourteenth birthday. But the strangeness only starts there. There's a dome surrounding the land within a ten-mile radius from the nuclear plant. The wall is impassable and burns you if you touch it. There are strange mutations in the animals; seagulls with talons, winged snakes, and talking coyotes. Some kids have also developed strange powers. Sam is running out of time before he turns fourteen and disappears too. The kids from Coates Academy come down to the town of Perdido Beach and Caine appoints himself as leader. People are dying because his sheriff and gang of bullies keep beating people up who break the rules imposed on them by Caine. Some of these rules are actually valid, others are meant to prevent people from gaining power to oppose Caine. Sam, Quinn, Edilio, Astrid, and Little Pete are thrown together for survival. Sam knows that something is not right about Caine. Sam has the ability to shoot fire from his hands, but he doesn’t use it because he feels responsible for the disappearances. They are always running from Caine or one of his buddies. They meet a girl named Lana who is a healer and find out that Little Pete has special abilities of his own. They rescue a bunch of kids who Caine had cemented their hands in blocks, the kids join their group to overthrow Caine as a leader. Evaluation:The new world described in Gone is almost like a parallel universe. I really enjoyed the references to Star Wars and Harry Potter. Trying to figure out what was happening to Sam’s world was very stimulating. There is a lot of exciting action in this novel, I still enjoyed it even though the kids' powers sometimes seemed like they were taken from comic books. I wanted to cheer at the ending of the novel. It is a fantastic story that teens will greatly appreciate. Ages: 15+/Interests: Science Fiction, Action Adventure, Fantasy.
    • 3/5
      This was an enjoyable read about friendship and survival, despite the fact that some parts were too far fetched for my liking (I hate talking animals!!). However, it was quite a page turner with plenty of action which kept the reader involved to the end and am looking forward to reading the sequel.
    • 1/5
      This review was originally posted on my blog, Mommy's Reading Break

      I bought Gone back in December 2012. It was on sale, part of Epic Reads‘ The End is Here feature. However, I finally decided to pick it up when a group I’m in on Goodreads decided to do a buddy read of it.

      The premise of Gone sounded really interesting to me, and I thought it started off really strongly. I mean, literally, the adults disappear out of nowhere right on the first page. I felt I was going to be a little frustrated, though, because Gone is a fairly long book (583 pages), and I was immediately dying to know what was going on! I mean, everyone age 15 and older just “poofed”. I mean, they disappeared out of nowhere.

      However, things went downhill really fast for me with Gone. I mean, as a mom, it was really hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that everyone over the age of 14 disappeared from this town. That meant that there were little kids wandering around parentless, and what if there were no older children in a family? It’s possible that there were babies just left hanging out alone at their houses, with no one to take care of them. Honestly, the thought of it made me sick. But several people participating in the buddy read were raving about how much they loved the book, so I kept going.

      It was a struggle for me. Aside from the underlying issue that I already mentioned that was running through my subconscious the whole time I was reading, I just felt that the pacing was slow or something. I don’t know, but I just wasn’t interested. I posted several times within the buddy read thread that I wasn’t impressed. I think I was at 38% and seriously considering DNF’ing, but I kept going. I hate DNF’ing, and again, I was seeing a bunch of people talk about how much they were enjoying it.

      There was a certain scene, hmm, maybe around 40-45%, I’m not really sure, that bothered me so much that I literally thought about throwing my kindle on the couch and forgetting this book. Even now, thinking back on it just makes me shudder. So freaking disturbing.

      The pace picked up a bit for maybe the last 20% or so, I’m not really sure, and I managed to power through it, but honestly, I was still just not really into it. I didn’t really enjoy it, and I was still more than a little disturbed. Without spoiling anything, let me just say that there are some really evil characters in Gone. I mean, we all know that there are bullies in high school, but without any adults to keep them in line, some of the kids are really evil. There is one character in particular who is a complete sadist, and nothing seems to phase him or make him feel remorseful. Oh yeah, and he’s fourteen. I don’t know, I guess I just couldn’t get over the age thing.

      I was disappointed with the ending because I still had a lot of questions, but I feel that was set-up for the rest of the series, or at least for the next book in the series. However, I’m not curious enough to read 5 more long books. I might google some spoilers just to find out what happened, but I don’t plan on continuing the series.

      As I said before, I’ve seen several people enjoy Gone, so I won’t say to avoid it, but it was definitely not for me, and I can’t recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Mir hat das Buch gut gefallen. Insgesamt jedenfalls. Ausser, das es mit 512 Seiten etwas schwer war, lies es sich schnell und gut lesen. Der Schreibstil ist einfach, der Plot nachvollziehbar Und spannend. Dadurch, dass in der Stadt ein Internat für gestörte Jugendliche war ist der Psychopathenanteil gut gegeben und die Superkräfte halten das ganze etwas frisch, da man nicht genau weiß, wer als nächstes mit einer aufwartet, was dann passiert, und vor allem, was für eine derjenige hat.

      Was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat: Die Spitznamen. Schulbus-Sam? Computer-Jack? Ernsthaft? Ich habe so das leichte Gefühl, dass Kinder sich bessere Namen ausdenken würden. Das hatte so ein ganz leichtes TKKG-Feeling. Und nicht im positivem Sinne. Jedes mal, wenn jemand einen Spitznamen benutzt hat war das störend und hat mich aus der Geschichte gerissen.

      Das andere, was mir nicht gefallen hat: Der Autor kann seine Figuren nicht leiden sehen. Oh, es wird gestorben. Aber die Radiesschen werden nur von Figuren von unten betrachtet, die man noch nie gesehen hat, den Namen nicht mal kennt, und die man auch nicht vermissen wird. Die Hauptcharaktere tragen nicht mal eine Narbe davon. Was irgendwie mies ist, wenn man gerade über einen Krieg liest mit No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.

      Die Charaktere sind reizvoll. Sam, der geborene Anführer, der eigentlich gar keiner sein will. Er hat mich an Jack von Lost erinnert. Eigentlich will er nicht, aber… er kanns ja auch nicht mit ansehen und die anderen würden ihm überall hin folgen.

      Caine, der immer einen Plan hat. Wie Artemis Fowl, aber in bösartig. Und charismatisch. (Nichts gegen Artemis, aber der hat Geselligkeit nicht gerade mit dem Löffel gefressen. Wenn Butler nicht ständig hinter ihm stehen würde hätte er sicherlich schon seeehr oft Prügel bezogen).

      Quinn, der sich als einziger vollkommen vernünftig verhält, nämlich verängstigt und verstört.

      Und natürlich alle anderen. Am Schluss kommen noch viele neue Gesichter dazu. Ich denke, die werden dann in den fünf nächsten Büchern besser beleuchtet. Was mich jetzt schon wieder wurmt. So ganz leicht. Sechs Bände mit jeweils mindestens 500 Seiten bis ich weiß, wie die Geschichte zu Ende geht. Das ist ganz schön viel. Ich dachte als ich das Buch gelesen habe dass es nur drei sind, was ich schon sehr nervig fand. Aber sechs? Nuja. Das sind besser sechs sehr gute Bücher, oder ich werde nicht bis zum Ende lesen.

      Aber was solls. Es ist alles nur eine FAYZ. Man darf ja nicht den Humor verlieren.
    • 3/5
      Poof! In the town of Perdido Beach, one morning everyone over the age of fifteen disappears. In the blink of an eye as it were. Think 'Lord of the Flies'. But with mutants, bullies, talking animals and a mysterious barrier.'Gone' is the first in a series of six (and counting???).
    • 4/5
      There were many times while reading that I thought this was the perfect modern equivalent of "Lord of the Flies". Children left to care for themselves, dividing into factions, filling the power vacuum left by the absence of adults. The supernatural powers made things more intense and gave the story a bit of a "Heros" feel.
    • 5/5
      Great concept for a story! I am certainly intrigued enough to read the next one.
      Apart from the sleepless night it gave me while I stressed out about what my kids would do in a similar situation, I really had fun reading this. And yes, it sparked a really interesting middle-of-the-shopping centre conversation with my 14 year old daughter who hasn't read it but had some eye-opening ideas about what her priorities would be if all the adults suddenly disappeared.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing.
    • 5/5
      AMAZING AMAZING
    • 5/5
      This is one of my all time favorite books. It has just enough weirdness to intrigue me, but at the same time not creep me out. I like all the different points of views and how they all came together.
    • 3/5
      I liked the concept of this story, but I found the actual book to be boring. The story took too long to unfold and I didn't find myself being engaged by the characters.
    • 3/5
      I only just started this series because I found it in my favorite indie book store and the lady gave me this book for free because I'm practically regular and because she knows my taste in books which means she read this series and that makes her awesome so yeah.Sam Temple is in his boring history class learning who knows what when all of a sudden every kid's dream comes true: his teacher "poofs" mid sentence leaving them in an empty classroom with no one spewing useless facts. But the celebration doesn't last long once the kids realize that all the adults are gone, but not only the adults are gone but anyone over the age of 15 "poofed" or disappeared into thin air. While there isn't a mass panic, there's chaos trying to figure out what to do when there's no adult to take care of the little kids or who is going to feed them all real food other than candy bars and soda.Sam and his friend Quinn join a pretty blonde girl/genius (because she takes AP classes at 14 -_-)/Sam's unrequited crush Astrid in finding her autistic little brother Little Petey at the Perdido Valley nuclear plant. After a quick search at their houses they come to accept that all the adults are gone and kids are left to fend for themselves Lord of the Flies style.When Sam and co. return to the valley where all the kids have grouped to a fire starts and Same bravely enters the burning building to rescue a girl, but in that fire he witnesses the girl summon a strange power he'd only seen one other person do: himself. After that incident the rich kids from across the town come in a take over with some posh kid named Caine taking the lead but Astrid senses something strange about all the kids and once Caine is given full authority suddenly the kids are under a communistic dictatorship and Sam might be the only one to stop it.I personally love reading these dystopian type novels where the kids are left alone to deal with how they want to rule society because one: kids are not mature enough to handle that big of a pressure and I like to see what the author thinks kids would be capable of and two: I get a kick out of kids obeying some other barely past puberty kid who thinks he's better than all of them for some stupid reason but in this case it's actually a reason based on fear. Sam Temple along with some other kids have these varying strange powers (emitting light, transportation, speed, power reading, strength, empathy [I think]) and throughout the novel you come to see the potential of power that the strongest ones have. Caine uses those powers to his advantage and allows his crew to do the same. Like any other politician, he uses his charm and smarts to win over the public but when threatened he lets out a power that the other kids don't dare even question and the only threat to him would be none other than Sam.It was quite the interesting concept but at the same time it felt a little jumbled up to me. I know that Sam, Quinn and Astrid are supposed to be the ones I'm mainly invested in I ended up caring more about minor characters like Lana, Edilio, Albert or even Computer Jack. Sam was kind of boring, his only redemption was the "twist" I totally saw coming and his final battle at the end. Quinn was slightly more relateable than Sam because he was the sidekick that doesn't always know what to do whether he knows if it's the right thing or not and that only makes him human, plus I've got a soft spot for those types of characters because who am I to judge them for making the wrong choice when even I don't know what I would do in that case. Astrid was annoying and that's coming from a girl who was the genius in her middle school. I couldn't stand her at all and I still can't point my finger on my issue with her. The role of the villain switched way too many times and in the end it turns out there's going to be an even bigger one that's worse than the bullies? Okay...But like I said the interesting concept is what kept me going.Another thing that I liked was the change in scenery, we got a look at a girl who was alone with the transition happened, we got a look at the kid who took over a McDonald's, we got a look at the girl who took care of the littlest kids and we got a look at the girl who became a nurse in the course of 10 minutes because of an accident. Some of those minor characters I ended up caring more than the actual main ones.I think the most frustrating unanswered question had to do with Sam's mother. Given it's only the first book I read from this series (I've already got the other ones lying around somewhere waiting for me to read them) I'm hoping it gets answered in some other book. But so far it's good enough for me to keep going and actually finish it.
    • 3/5
      Holy pageturner, Batman. This fantasy dystopian novel had me reading at a gallop, finishing in just a weekend. And yikes, there are five more! This was highly recommended to me by a boy student who was checking out the 6th from the library. It's an intriguing idea--what if all the adults and young people over 15 suddenly disappeared? It's a classic battle between good and evil, with some of the kids developing interesting superpowers. Although it is nearly 600 pages, if you can get a boy to try this, he'll probably be hooked. Well, yes, girls might like it too. The cover art is hugely disappointing, though. It shows the main good guy characters on the front, and the bad guys on the back, but it's so blah. There's nothing about it that makes you want to open the book. When we first got it in, it didn't go out.
    • 5/5
      Chilling, yet compelling. While some elements are predictable, the concept is compelling and the plot is complex enough to hold interest. I felt drawn to keep reading.The images conjured by this book are vivid and lasting. You easily imagine yourself right there with Sam, Astrid, and the others.One caveat: there is a fair amount of violence in this book. It is necessary within the realm of the story that is being portrayed; however, it may not be appropriate for all ages.
    • 3/5
      First, let me clarify I really did enjoy Gone by Michael Grant. However, there were so many flaws - in both the writing and the plot - that prevented me from rating the book higher.

      Overall, the plot was fairly solid. The pacing is fast, and there is nary a dull moment - it's full of action. One thing I really enjoyed, regarding the plot, was the concept of the whole story. It is a really creative idea, and it gives the author a lot to write about.
      Let me just say that the "powers" in Gone were super cool! I enjoyed how some characters developed "powers" that allowed them to do seemingly impossible things (teleport, mind-read, turn inadvisable, etc). I thought this was really creative of Grant!

      One of my critiques regarding Gone was the characters. I felt that the characters, like most YA books, didn't seemed fully developed and that they lacked the characterization that they needed to feel real to me. The characters seemed quite 1-dementional, and I found it hard to sympathize / feel for them.
      Mostly every character (excluding Quinn & Diana - and some others) were either all good or all bad. This bothered me, as it felt unrealistic.

      My main critique regards the ending of the story. For some reason, the ending didn't satisfy me at all. It didn't even really tell you who captured the adults. It bothers me that an author will write a 500 page book, yet not even solve the original conflict. And, of course, Grant decides to continue it as a series...it would have been much better as a stand-alone book with an actual ending!

      All in all, Gone was not completely bad, there were just minor writing flaws here and there. It is definitely a winning dystopia / sci-fi and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of that specific genre!
    • 4/5
      At first, this story seems reminiscent of Stephen King's The Dome. A town is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious dome-shaped barrier that cuts through the landscape and shocks when touched. However, this is where the similarities end.In Gone, everybody over the age of fifteen disappears, leaving the children inside the dome (or what will come to be known as the FAYZ) to cope for themselves. In a Lord of the Flies type scenario, cliques begin to form. One side, ruled by the town bullies, is cruel. The other side, humane. Worse, some of the kids develop supernatural powers, and the animals begin to mutate in ways that make them more dangerous.If you liked The Dome or Lord of the Flies, you will love Gone. As thrilling as either, and more enjoyable than both, Gone will linger i your mind long after you are done reading, leaving you craving to learn more, more, more about life in the FAYZ. Michael Grant is an awesome author and I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series!
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Everyone over the age of 15 has poofed all at once. The kids left behind have to come together and figure out what is going on and try to get some order to their lives. Lots of characters in this story ,and all with different ideas of what they see as their roll in what they to do to make things work for those left behind after the poof.
    • 3/5
      Precisely what you would expect--- good for the afternoon nap. any reference to "Lord of the Flies" is a long way off the mark- reads like a treatment for a movie!
    • 2/5
      Obviously, I didn't like the book, so if you did, you probably shouldn't read this.

      I actually did something I never usually do, and bought the first and the second book at the same time, as the idee sounded interesting. I figured that at the very least they would be quick and entertaining.

      They took me four years to finish.

      For me, it was a lot of little things combined. I couldn't get into the book at all. The pacing was ridiculous, with just action after action with no break at all. And nothing was ever explained. I get that there's six books in the series, but after two books there should be some sort of plot development.

      The fact that nothing was explained took away any interest I had in story. I don't feel like the plot got away from Mr. Grant, I feel like he never had it in the first place. By the end there was just gore for gore's sake, with kids being eaten by cabbage monsters(Second book? I can't remember) and little kids dying for no reason. These deaths added nothing to the emotional scope of the story, with the main characters not even caring. It was just a lazy way of adding shock to a book.

      I found the main characters, particularly Sam and Astrid to be really dull. I couldn't connect to Sam at all. It was like he was just there to take up the stoic white chosen hero role, and nothing more. And Astrid. She seemed like an interesting, complicated character in the beginning, but she quickly devolved into the same passive cardboard cutout as Sam. This might change in later books, but I don't care to find out.

      If Sam and Astrid had been replaced with, say, Mary, or Lana, or literally anyone other than Sam and Astrid, the story might have been a lot easier to connect to, but no. These minor characters actually had thoughts and flaws and wanted things and were much more human than our dynamic duo.

      The writing style killed me. The sentences were short and simple, which isn't necessarily bad, but I swear to god every sentence was passive, which really took away from the more dramatic moments.

      The only way I can see the rest of the books getting better is if Grant: - stops dragging out everything to get a quick buck (Seriously, 560 pages of nothing.
      - gives some actual answers.
      - has the horror and violence add something to the plot or character development.
      - has Sam and Astrid actually develop the emotional depth that this story so desperately needs.
    • 4/5
      Haven't quite decided on a star-rating for this yet..

      Boy, oh boy, is it getting dang-aggravating to not be able to type efficiently enough with one hand to write reviews. Anyone want to volunteer to be my other hand until mine heals? ;-)

      1.5 months later...

      I really liked this book. The characters were are enjoyable and well-written, especially the bad guys. The story line is unique and interesting (Over the age of 14? POOF YOU DISAPPEAR!).The book is gruesome, violent and detailed. It was fascinating. There are non-trendy super powers.

      The downside:
      Reading this book will get your hopes up about the sequel. You will scramble to get the sequel, read 50 pages and send it back asking for a refund. Then you'll get sad noticing there are FIVE BOOKS in this series. The story line does not lend to a 5 book series, it lends to a 2. Trilogy at the very most. Finally, you'll weep inwardly that you got so invested in a first installment and will never know how it ends. WHO LIVES!? Do they get out?! Oh the agony..

      And, Michael Grant tries to convince you that a 14 year old in this decade is intimately familiar with REM (band, not sleep cycle). Which, we all know is bogus.

      Favorite Quote:

      "I'm all about elliptical implications."
    • 4/5
      This was a really good book!! At the beginning it was a little weird but once you keep reading it gets way better!!
    • 3/5
      Not bad for a casual read. Slightly more adult than I expected and certainly thought provoking, this book had a strong start and it was never going to be able to live up to that start. There were a few good curveballs thrown in here and there and there is enough mystery to warrant a go at the second book. Just got a bit weaker towards the end and went out with a bit of a whimper rather than a bang.
    • 4/5
      READ IN DUTCH

      I'd heard a lot about this series, and it made me very curious. The blurb sounded fascinating. Leaving only kids in a city, it's a recipe for a good Dystopian novel (and a lot of trouble).



      As soon as the FAYZ is created - the reasons why are mysterious - social movements start, and some people (although everyone over 15 has magically disappeared) start immediate to make sure they end up on top of it.

      Besides, there is a complete lack of responsibility, definitely at the beginning. They forget something very important when they are feasting in the McDonald.


      The fact that there are a lot of very young children now being not cared for and not fed. So, all this kids end up dead


      For me, that was one of the cruellest parts of the book. Because even when they think about it eventually (after several days and it is already too late) they don't really feel responsible about it. When, strictly speaking, they were. And this is way before all the killings and everyone's starts dropping like flies.



      This isn't a nice and calm read, this book will punch you in the face. Multiple times. It doesn't pretend that people will do good things or even what's best. It shows, like many other Dystopian novels, what happens to society as a certain part of it changes. And that's already before all the freak stuff happens. In this book, it doesn't play such an important part, but it will become more and more a fantasy/sci-fi over the next books.



      Gone wasn't my favourite part in this series, it took some time for me to get into the story, but once I was, it didn't let me go and I couldn't put it down any more. I'm aware that from the description it really sounds like Stephen King's Under The Dome, but I like this series better.
    • 1/5
      Good idea, but I didn't like the writing. There were too many characters, and I didn't feel like any of them were very well developed. The whole abandoned babies thing really bothered me, too. I just did not like this book at all.
    • 4/5
      Equal parts fascinating and infuriating. It's a vast riddle enveloped in the trauma of the apocalypse. Grant has created a vast cast of characters to drive his plot, but not so many that they lack fleshing out. The infuriating part was the subplot of the coyotes. They feel exceptionally out of place in this fabricated world. All the humans have a vast array of powers - yet the coyotes evolved (more or less) uniformly. It felt as though Grant had two story ideas that were "close enough" that he threw them together and said "good enough."
    • 3/5
      This is the first novel in a series of six post-apocalyptic novels, set in a town in southern California where, one day in November, every adult and older child of 15 or over suddenly disappears literally into thin air, and the town is surrounded by an impenetrable barrier. This novel starts well, with a good sense of the mixed emotions of initial exhilaration, then paralysis, perplexity, worry and fear that such an event would naturally give rise to. Some of the children have special powers including firing lasers from their hands, controlling gravity, or teleportation. The novel moves from focusing mainly on the post-apocalyptic situation to focusing on the struggle between factions of children with various powers, in particular that of the hero Sam and his girlfriend Astrid, against Caine Soren's faction, particularly as the moment of Sam's and Caine's fifteenth birthdays approach, when they are due to disappear. This is a good page turner of a novel, though I found it a little repetitive at times, and I'm not sure if I'll bother with the sequels.
    • 3/5
      In this dystopic future, all of the adults (aged 16+) have disappeared. Children and teens are in charge and trouble ensues!This reader was disappointed in the writing and character development (lack thereof).... got the jist of the story and stopped there. Quarantine: The Loners is a superior (although violent) alternative.
    • 4/5
      Could barely put this down. It moved swiftly and intelligently toward a plausible (plausible for the basic premise of everyone over 14 disappearing and all those left with special powers) ending
    • 3/5
      This book took me forever to read... =
      So, a friend of mine told me this was really really good and he really liked it, and, usually, i totally trust his judgment. But 3 weeks into this book and still unfinished? Well.... i was having doubts...
      So, i usually adore post-apocalypse/apocalyptic books, something about this one fell flat.
      I think it was the age range... you know, middle school kids are not that mature. It's a fact of life. Ok that's generalizing, let me rephrase, there aren't that many mature 14 year-olds in one place...
      ...Yeah i know... they're mutants, they mature faster... well still...
      I liked the characters though! I did! I liked Astrid and Edilio =) I didn't like that he made you like the bad guys too.... cause i didn't really want to like them... but ones name was Panda!!! What kind of heartless person names a bad guy Panda!!!?!?!?!
      Lol, anyway... the story was good, inventive, original (ohmigosh i love using those words!!!) i mean, it was a good story.
      One day everyone over the age of 15 just disappearing and the kids (some of whom have mutant-like powers) have to fend for themselves against a rivaling school and insane antagonist (who's.... 14...)?? Lord of the Flies anyone?? That's really what i was getting reminded of a lot. Lord of the Flies. Only.. you know... less weird...
      I think besides the age range, the only other real issue i had was the sometimes incredibly awkward dialogue. Sometimes it was really good! Others... not so much... because a lot of times the dialogue didn't stay true to the age of the kids. I mean, they're kids, they're gonna use contractions and slang. There were too many instances where someone would say something like;
      "But we are all out of food."
      um... i don't know about you... but most 14-year olds i know would say we're.
      So, pros and cons, the usual stuff.
      I will read the next one, because this wasn't a bad book. Just had some things i had problems with. Actually i'm rather curious as to what happens in the next book ;)
    • 5/5
      So good! Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

    Book preview

    Gone - Jamie Freveletti

    GONE

    An Emma Caldridge Novella: Part Two of Three

    JAMIE FREVELETTI

    Harper_Imprint_Logos.psd

    Contents

    GONE

    An Excerpt from Dead Asleep

    Chapter 1

    About the Author

    Also by Jamie Freveletti

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    GONE

    EMMA CALDRIDGE DROVE into the desert town of Sunrise City on the border between Arizona and Utah and wondered what caliber bullet would test her armored vest first. She passed a row of houses on her left and watched the curtains twitch aside as the residents followed her progress down the empty, silent streets that shimmered in the early morning heat. The town’s sheriff had already picked up her arrival, and she watched him track her, keeping one car length behind and holding a steady pace.

    The Jeep Wrangler with the camo paint job that she drove was a loaner from Edward Banner, CEO of Darkview, a contract security firm that operated dangerous missions the world over by way of a nearby military installation. The Dragunov sniper rifle nestled in a scabbard, and tucked between the seat and the transmission housing was another loaner from her friend Cameron Sumner, a member of the Southern Hemisphere Drug Defense Department. The armored vest that she wore looked like a denim vest, but it was woven of a reinforced silk fabric by a Colombian tailor who specialized in armored business suits. It was a gift from Carol Stromeyer, Darkview’s vice president.

    The Sig Sauer 9mm pistol in her shoulder holster was hers, as was the coffee nestled in the cup holder.

    Sunrise City was the enclave of the Children of the Supreme Son, a religious cult run by Emmet Shaw, a former insurance agent turned prophet, who claimed that he was the son of God and that to defy him was to court hell. Emma wasn’t afraid of hell, she’d stared into that abyss already while on Earth, and she’d do it again if required, but she was concerned about time. She needed to locate Sebastian Ryan and extract him before the Supreme Sons went to work on him.

    Emma had learned that Ryan was kidnapped a day after she’d returned from the Caribbean. His colleague at Axor Insurance, Janet Candar, had pounded on her door on Sunday morning wearing a look of exhaustion. Ryan’s clothes were found at the ocean’s edge, and he had been absent from work for two days without explanation. He’d told Candar about his wild night with Emma Caldridge, when the Children of the Supreme Son had chased both of them, and impressed upon Candar that if anything should happen to him she was to contact Emma immediately, because he’d likely been kidnapped. Unfortunately, the police didn’t see it that way.

    They went to his house, Candar had said. It was undisturbed. An elderly neighbor said he often walked along the ocean in the morning. She said that he’d lost his wife to breast cancer and seemed despondent. When the police found his clothes by the pier, they concluded that he’d committed suicide.

    Emma’d felt the beauty of the day turn dark. She liked Ryan and held even more sympathy for him now that she’d learned he had lost his wife. She had seen him standing at the water’s edge during her early morning runs, and in those solitary moments he had projected an air of barely contained despair. She recognized his grief, because she’d been the same way when her fiancé died in a car accident. Still, after having faced down danger with Ryan, she didn’t think he would kill himself.

    They’re not looking for him, Candar had continued.

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