The Saints of the Lost and Found by T.M. Causey

It's been ten years since Avery ran away from home and her ex, Jack. Since then, she's allowed her ability to see and sometimes find lost things to become public knowledge, consulting on a highly publicized case with the FBI. But it's that case and a call from her father that have forced her to finally return home. 

Avery's ability isn't always reliable. She can see losses but can't always tell when or even where they are. The fact that she led the feds to the whereabouts of the Little Princess Killer's latest victim just moments after her death is a failure Avery can't face again. So she lies, claiming to have lost her ability after a particularly awful seizure. On the heels of that lie is her father's promise that Avery's brother, Latham, will die if she doesn't return to Louisiana to help him. But her return means facing Jack and the revelation that her ability has not disappeared at all. And when another girl is abducted, this time in her own backyard, Avery is drawn right back into the LPK case and the public eye. 

Avery and her brother were raised by grifter parents who were all too happy to use her ability to their benefit. The ability itself comes from Avery's father's side of the family and manifests in different ways throughout the generations. Avery's father, for example, can see a person's death. Avery's brother is plagued by visions of ghosts, an ability he's kept secret from their parents all their life.

For a while, Avery was able to control the pain of the losses that surrounded her every day. But that loss of control has meant an inundation of pain and symptoms leading up to terrible seizures. What's more, her relationship with Jack was devastating for both of them. But Jack has no clue why Avery really left him behind and why she's avoided contact with him for a decade. It's the reason, in fact, that her own brother doesn't want her back in Louisiana. But Avery isn't going to risk her own brother, even when it means not only facing Jack but having to use her ability to help when his ex-wife disappears under mysterious circumstances.

As they say, though, no good deed goes unpunished.

I have a secret - T.M. Causey is none other than Bobbie Faye author Toni McGee Causey. I feel pretty confident that fans of her previous work will love The Saints of the Lost and Found even though it is quite different from the Bobbie Faye books. But again, it is QUITE different. There are glimmers of Causey's signature humor and snark in Avery's story, but they're glimmers in the midst of a tale that's dark and heart wrenching.

Yep, Causey goes into super dark territory here. Poor Avery is tortured by her ability, torn from the man she loves, and forced to watch as her beloved brother withers away right before her eyes. As if that weren't enough, she's the FBI's only hope in catching a killer who actually ramped up his crimes in response to her involvement. To say she's caught between a rock and a hard place is a severe understatement!

The Saints of the Lost and Found may be a change of pace in terms of tone for Causey but some of my favorite aspects of her previous works is still present here. Like Bobbie Faye, Avery is another fantastic character that readers can really rally behind! And while hers definitely isn't another laugh-out-loud adventure, the mystery is fabulously plotted and utterly unputdownable.

I'm an admitted longtime fan of Causey's work but, as with Lutz last week (another similar change of pace for another favorite author of mine), I highly, highly recommend The Saints of the Lost and Found to anyone looking for a fantastic thriller!

Rating: 5/5