PW #375: Young Adult Thriller: A SILENT GOODBYE

Manuscript Status: FINISHED

Mentor: Trisha Leaver & Kelly Calabrese
Mentee: Angela Cappillo
Title: A SILENT GOODBYE
Category: Young Adult
Genre: Thriller
Word Count: 70,000

Pitch:

Chloe has spent every second of the last three years searching for her mom, but everything she tries leads her nowhere. That is until she receives a mysterious text from someone claiming to know the truth. Now she must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for the answers she so desperately needs.

Excerpt:

Mom deserted us three years ago. At least, that’s what everyone claims.

There were search parties, fliers and local news stories. All leading nowhere. The detective’s conclusion: she abandoned us.

They’re wrong. I know they are.

I stand and stare at the dozens of news articles scattered across my bed, my own research-filled journals stacked beside them. All useless. All giving me more questions than answers. I was beginning to think I’d never see my mom again. Until ten minutes ago when I received an anonymous message. One that has me believing in impossibilities.

A shudder cascades across my chest as I read the text again.

I have answers about your mother. 

I pull up the browser on my phone and do a reverse number search. Nothing! No name or address of the person who sent it, not even the city where the message originated from. Over the last couple of months, since Dad decided to leave Mom behind forever and propose to another woman, I’ve exhausted every avenue I could think of. This text, though…this text is a game changer.

I force my hand, nails bitten to nubs, away from my mouth. I’ve pictured her in my mind a thousand times, lying face down in a ditch. Buried six feet under. Or worse…lying on a beach somewhere with a smile on her face. I need to know what happened to my mom. Even if she’s dead.

Prove it! I finally type back.