The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater

Author: Jaime Jo Wright
Genre: Dual-Time Mystery
Pages: 384
Release Date: October 10, 2023
Publisher: Bethany House

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.

---

Reviewer: Mindy Houng

It is another eerie, secret-filled, masterfully written dual-time novel from Jaime Jo Wright. The two timelines are seamlessly melded together, yet the main characters, as well as the secondary ones, in each timeline are uniquely memorable.

In this story, we are transported to Kipper's Grove, WI, in 1915, when the recently built Barlowe Theater in town threatens all that Greta has left. In present-day Kipper's Grove, Kit is emotionally and physically haunted by her best friend's disappearance, sabotage at the workplace, and menacing bodily threats. How the disappearance of Greta's brother and Kit's circumstances tie together is absolutely mind-blowing. Twists and turns and surprises along the way will have you hanging on for an adventure you won't forget.

Greta was quite lovable with her fiercely loyal and determined spirit, despite having suffered from tragedy and the sting of poverty. Oscar and Eleanor were great side kicks as Greta went searching for her brother.
Kit, adopted as an infant, had her own battle with abandonment to face, in addition to battling confusing and heartbreaking incidents. Evan was a logical, level-headed person to lean on, and I really enjoyed watching their friendship bloom.

With an intricate plot, well-developed characters, and wonderful reminders about faith, The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater will thoroughly captivate you as only a Jaime Jo Wright book can.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House via Interviews and Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

---

---

Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright is an exciting, dual-time mystery filled with Wright's penchant for creepiness. I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down!

Our two main characters are Greta and Kit. Greta Mercy has lost her parents, her oldest brother, and now another brother, Leo, to Barlowe Theater. She risks everything to find him and the other boys who went missing inside the theater. In the future, Kit Boyd's friend Madison goes missing in the same theater during a ghost walk. With the legend of the lost boys ever present in her mind, Kit is determined to find Madison and put the haunted stories to rest.

I loved how the author merged these two stories from different eras together. As Kit uncovers more information about the lost boys in her time, Greta begins her search for her brother Leo and the other boys with him when they go missing. Each era has its own dangers and dangerous people, making this book hard to put down. I honestly didn't know who to trust!

If you love mysteries and ghost stories, you will love The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater. I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through NetGalley for my honest review.

---