The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater: 2023 Catchup

 Published 10th October 2023, Bethany House
Print, Ebook and Audio

Dual Timeline Historical Fiction

It promises beauty but steals life instead. Will the ghosts of Barlowe Theater entomb them all?

Barlowe Theater stole the life of Greta Mercy's eldest brother during its construction. Now in 1915, the completed theater appears every bit as deadly. When Greta's younger brother goes missing after breaking into the building, Greta engages the assistance of a local police officer to help her unveil the already ghostly secrets of the theater. But when help comes from an unlikely source, Greta decides that to save her family she must uncover the evil that haunts the theater and put its threat to rest.

Decades later, Kit Boyd's best friend vanishes during a ghost walk at the Barlowe Theater, and old stories of mysterious disappearances and ghoulish happenings are revived. Then television ghost-hunting host and skeptic Evan Fisher joins Kit in the quest to identify the truth behind the theater's history. Kit reluctantly agrees to work with him in hopes of finding her missing friend. As the theater's curse unravels Kit's life, she is determined to put an end to the evil that has marked the theater and their hometown for the last century.

 

 

 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater delivered everything I enjoy in Jaime Jo Wright’s novels: excitement, thrilling mystery, danger and an exhilarating story with a hint of romance. Some of this author’s novels get very dark in terms of the subjects and material which they touch on, this one doesn’t so much. It does go into attitudes towards the urban poor and disadvantaged and how these can perpetuate the cycle of poverty and crime. 

Although I did enjoy this one, and I would certainly give it a re-read along with some of my other Jaime Jo Wright novels I didn’t feel there was very much new about it. I don’t know, except for the setting in a theatre, there was a lot that reminded me of the author’s previous books. Maybe that’s a good thing, as it gives the reader a sense of familiarity and so we know what to expect, I don’t know.

Also, I found the modern heroine a bit vapid. She’s like a lot of other female protagonists in mystery novels with little to make her stand out.

Thanks to Bethany House for approving my request for this title via Netgalley. This didn’t influence my opinions in any way and all opinions expressed are my own.