All Lost Things by Josh Aterovis

Title: All Lost Things  
Author: Josh Aterovis
Publisher: PD Publishing
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Blurb:

Killian Kendall’s life is changing faster than he can keep up. He’s graduating from high school, breaking up with his boyfriend, and starting a new job with a private investigator. He’s barely settled at his new desk when his ex-boyfriend calls with a desperate plea for help. He wants Killian to prove his new boyfriend is innocent in the shockingly violent murder of his abusive father. Killian reluctantly agrees to take the case, little knowing how complicated ~ and dangerous ~ things will become before it’s over.

On the home front, Killian’s surrogate parents decide to buy a historic mansion and turn it into a bed and breakfast. The house comes with a rich history … and maybe a ghost or two. Killian doesn’t want to believe in such things, but he’s quickly becoming convinced that something terrible happened to the home’s original owners. The century-old mystery both terrifies and tantalizes Killian. In the end, he may be the only one who can uncover the truth.

Review:

All Lost Things is the third book in the Killian Kendall series and it is back to form after a disappointing second book. Here the story returns to its strength with the great narrator in Killian and offers a strong, well thought out mystery to dominate the plot. There is a distracting paranormal side plot that shouldn’t have been included but Killian’s charm combined with the unique voice and easy flow to the prose give an engaging, quick read that is highly addictive. Changes occur from book to book but the author has clearly only begun to tap the possibility that this new series has to offer and I can’t wait for the next offering.

Here the story begins with Killian struggling to handle the numerous changes happening in his life. He’s fighting with his long time boyfriend, Asher, as the two are growing apart and making separate plans for after graduation. Killian can’t help being interested in detecting and goes so far to get a job at a private investigator’s over the summer. When Asher’s new love interest suddenly comes under police speculation, Asher begs Killian to help. Killian agrees to look into the murder but there are a lot of distractions not to mention a cute new reporter wanting Killian’s attention too.

There are a lot of elements as always in this offering but the main focus of the mystery keeps most of these aspects well integrated to the plot. The actual mystery is well crafted and executed with a great ending that is foreshadowed so readers may figure it out but the various clues and detective work to get there is interesting to read. The mystery revolves around a young kid from their high school who has been accused of killing his abusive father. The web of lies surrounding the murder and Killian’s slow uncovering of the truth is absorbing. There are a few moments when readers have to suspend disbelief. Several of these are coincidences that set up Killian for his job and the murder mystery but since the mystery is so interesting, a lot of these obvious setups can be forgiven. Additionally the police and ex-cop turned private investigator not only let Killian investigate such a brutal crime but allow him to interview key witnesses and take the lead on following clues. This is slightly far fetched given Killian’s age, inexperience, and simple lack of common sense sometimes. However if you can ignore that fact in several places and just go with the story, the characters are engaging.

The focus on Killian is a welcome return as he has natural charm and energy that is easily translated across the page. He has his moments of immaturity and ridiculousness but he slowly grows and matures across the course of the story. His relationship to Asher ends, which may be sad for some readers, but this is handled very well showing how young both boys are and the casual mistakes they make. I especially liked that the author didn’t allow Killian to become staid and instead allowed him to grow, even in painful moments. The dramatic ending is over the top but by that point, it’s predictable and at least Killian showed some (it not much) common sense in helping the situation. Killian’s progression and maturation from young teenager to mature young adult is fascinating and absorbing.

There are a few missteps unfortunately. The first is the few coincidences and slight unbelievable details about Killian allowed to spend so much time and energy on such an investigation, especially when the private investigator seems to waffle back and forth. Sometimes he says it’s too dangerous to investigate alone and other times he lets Killian run off without a second thought. At the same time there is a distracting side plot about Killian’s guardian Steve (Adam’s partner) turning a haunted house into a B & B. This side plot is heavily paranormal and meant to focus on Killian’s supernatural “gifts.” Unfortunately the entire side plot is ill presented and relies heavily on the overbearing manipulations of a minor character that doesn’t make much sense. This entire plot could have been used for another book instead of tossed into this one, which didn’t add to the main plot but simply took the focus away from the strength.

Overall this is another great addition to the series and the unique voice afforded Killian sets up a charming, engaging narrator. The interesting mysteries seamlessly combine personal drama without one or the other overwhelming the story. The series is addictive and has numerous possibilities. The large cast matures with each offering showing flaws and strengths side by side; offering an honest and relatable appeal. You can read All Lost Things as a stand alone but really read Bleeding Hearts first so you can understand the incredible growth Killian goes through to really appreciate the change. Start now so you can be ready for the new offering in the series.