They Never Came Back
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- ¥1,200
発行者による作品情報
In a busy school cafeteria, a teenage girl is confronted by a classmate who questions her identity. He explains to the students who have crowded around that the girl bears an uncanny resemblance to his cousin, who was taken away by social services five years ago. Her parents abandoned her, fleeing the country after being accused of embezzling millions of dollars. The students are intrigued, but the girl shrugs off the attention as a case of mistaken identity.
As the days pass, however, the boy refuses to relent and even brings his parents in to back him up. But they are not the only adults involved. An FBI agent who has been working the case these past five years believes that whoever this girl is, she can serve as bait to help the FBI capture the fugitives. In this powerful novel that explores the possibility of mistaken identity, the evils of money and greed, and the heartfelt obligations of family and loyalty, Caroline B. Cooney has once again crafted a page-turner that will resonate with readers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A forgotten scandal surfaces when 15-year-old Cathy Ferris, who s taking an intensive summer Latin class in Greenwich, Conn., is accused by another student, Tommy, of being his long-lost cousin, Murielle Lyman. Murielle s parents embezzled millions of dollars and fled the country without their daughter five years earlier, affecting several people in the community. This includes the families of several of Cathy s classmates, who are all left wondering is Cathy really Murielle? Cathy keeps the answer secret (though not from readers), but she s left with some big questions and choices regardless: her resemblance to Murielle has attracted the attention of the FBI, which hopes to use her to ensnare the Lymans. Cooney s (The Face on the Milk Carton) tightly constructed thriller teems with suspense and has a touch of romance. The third-person narration initially switches between Cathy and 10-year-old Murielle, who is coping with her parents flight, but like the story itself, it evolves and grows in complexity. Through a large cast of convincing characters, Cooney expertly plumbs the lingering emotional aftereffects of the Lymans actions, raising difficult questions about family, loyalty, and self. Ages 12 up.
