Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist

Missing, Presumed Dead

by Emma Berquist

When eighteen-year-old Lexi foresees the brutal murder of a young woman outside a club in downtown L.A., she is powerless to stop it.

But then the girl's ghost appears, seeking vengeance, and Lexi is swept into a dangerous search that could put her directly in the path of a serial killer. From the author of Devils Unto Dust, this fast-paced and literary thriller will haunt fans of Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious and Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying.

With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it's a gift. But to Lexi it's a curse-one that keeps her friendless and alone. All that changes when Lexi foresees the violent death of a young woman, Jane, outside a club.

Jane doesn't go to the afterlife quietly. Her ghost remains behind, determined to hunt down her murderer, and she needs Lexi's help. In life, Jane was everything Lexi is not-outgoing, happy, popular. But in death, all Jane wants is revenge.

Lexi will do anything to help Jane, to make up for the fact that she didn't-couldn't-save Jane's life, and to keep this beautiful ghost of a girl by her side for as long as possible.

Emma Berquist's second novel is a haunting and atmospheric murder mystery that tackles themes of depression, loneliness, love, and identity. This high-concept novel is for fans of Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

4 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

This was a pretty fun book! I was into it from start to finish, as it was quite thrilling! Let us talk about what I enjoyed!

  • •Lexi was a suprisingly compelling main character. At the start, she was so closed off that I wasn't sure I'd really form a connection to her, but wow I did. She is fabulous. I don't want to give anything away so I am going to keep this simple, but she learns and grows so much during the book, and you really can't help but feel compassion for her.


  • •Her support system is small (and sometimes dead) but mighty. She has a grandfather with the same ability to see people's deaths and okay I freaking love Deda! He's a grouchy old man that loves Lexi some kind of fierce and their relationship is everything. One of her coworkers (and I am not saying who!) is another character I have a huge soft spot for. And her ghost roommates? Yeah they're kind of awesome. And maybe Lexi ends up falling for one of these people. Just saying, it's a possibility ;)


  • •The concept as a whole is not only awesome, but well-executed. Like obviously this could veer into cheesy territory, but doesn't. Lexi has strategies for not touching people (physically and emotionally, let's be real) that make the story believable.


  • •The mystery itself, the "whodunit", is so fun! I loved it, I kept trying to guess who the villain was, and it was just really fun and compulsively readable.


The only minor qualm I had was that the ending was a wee bit underwhelming for me? Definitely not a dealbreaker or anything, and doesn't negate the good parts of the book, but worth mentioning.

Bottom Line: I'm just going to go ahead and say that if you read any of the "I see dead people" books, let it be this one!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 23 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 23 April, 2019: Reviewed