Joelene Reviews: Anne Cassidy's - "Dead Time"

Nothing has been the same since Rose Smith’s mother disappeared when she was twelve. Her life, home and family were torn from her on the night that Kathy Smith and Rose’s step-father, Brendan, went missing from the restaurant they had gone to for dinner. Rose lost not only her parents but her step-brother, who was taken away to live with his relatives when she was sent to live with an emotionally distant grandmother that she had never known.

Now, at seventeen, she is finally about to see her step-brother, Joshua, again. Only, before she boards the train that will take her to him, she witnesses a murder. With two mysteries to solve, Joshua and Rose must find out whether their parents’ disappearances have anything to do with the murder before they become targets.

Dead Time begins with an interesting premise that will keep readers turning the pages to find answers. Joshua is more embroiled in the mystery of the past, to the point of almost obsessing over the fate of his father, while Rose is more concerned with the murder that she has seen. Since the disappearances of Kathy and Brendan are so much more personalised, this is the mystery that really hooks the reader in.

Anne Cassidy does a great job of writing an unsympathetic hero in Dead Time. Rose is the epitome of socially awkward teen. She is undemonstrative with gratitude, even when she wishes that she could be more gracious. The relationships around her suffer because she consistently misconstrues people’s meanings and intentions. You get the impression that when Rose was cut off from her mother, she found it hard to allow anyone else in. Fortunately, her relationship with Joshua is on firmer ground; possibly because he shares a loss so similar to hers. Even so, I found it difficult to relate to Rose much of the time.

The supporting characters showed hidden depths that I hope will be explored more fully in the next book in the series. Rose’s grandmother, Anna, is an immaculately groomed, reserved woman who doesn’t seem concerned with anything aside from appearances. It later becomes painfully apparent that the weight of her daughter’s disappearance is crushing her. Joshua’s flatmate, Skeggsie, is another character who breathed some fresh air into this novel. Though he is antisocial and intrinsically flawed when it comes to manners, his actions betray him as being loyal and honest to the point of discomfort.

The London setting in Dead Time is a refreshing change, as is the lack of supernatural themes. Readers who have a penchant for reality in their novels will enjoy this new series by acclaimed Young Adult author, Anne Cassidy.

Dead Time – Anne Cassidy

Bloomsbury (May 22, 2012)

ISBN: 9781408815502