THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MUM

His mother’s sudden disappearance just 10 days before Christmas adds extra suspense to a young London sleuth’s investigation.

Not a conventional whodunit, though it opens like one, Moloney’s debut tucks in clues aplenty to what’s really going on so that alert readers should have little trouble staying ahead of mercurial, stubbornly obtuse Jake—whose narrative, liberally punctuated with words in bold capital letters, chronicles sudden violent mood swings; strange behavior from his Polish best friend, Lukas, and others at school; frustratingly evasive answers to his queries from grown-ups; and the sudden arrival of his crusty grandma to watch over him and his excessively dramatic teenage sister. And, by the time Jake has crossed off his list every possible place his mum might have gone—except the hospital—his own selective amnesia has faded enough to allow him to accept what he, like everyone else, really knew all along: that she’s had another breakdown and been checked into a psychiatric facility. Though even mum, during a visit, can’t tell Jake for sure when she’ll be coming home to stay, the author closes on a hopeful note with hugs, tears, and two festive multifamily Christmas dinners. The conversational tone and authentically childlike voice add humor and reader appeal. Jake’s mum is cued as White; his father, who lives in a different flat on the same housing estate, has knee-length locs.

Starts out light, but the plot definitely thickens as the story explores relationships and mental health.