One Boy's Shadow by Ross McCoubrey

One Boy's Shadow by Ross A. McCoubrey

Published by iUniverse
434 Pages

Blurb: Fifteen-year-old Caleb Mackenzie doesn't put up a fight when his father announces the family is moving to Stapeton, Nova Scotia. In fact, Caleb looks forward to a fresh start in the scenic little area. Their new home, Wakefield House, sports large rooms, a big barn where Caleb can work on cars, and acres of forested land for privacy. But it also has a troubling past. In 1943, a boy who lived in the home vanished.

Caleb hears the stories about what may have occurred so many years ago, but he passes them off as folklore until one day he's alone in the woods and hears the faintest whisper. Did someone in the distance just call his name? And what about his discovery in the hayloft? Could there be something to those old stories after all?

The initial need to dismiss everything as coincidence becomes a soul-searching journey into the past where Caleb is determined to uncover the truth about what really happened to the missing boy. And in the process, he learns even more about himself and what's really important.

“I’ll cover your mouth with one hand to muffle any noise you make, I promise.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

Shane was giggling too as he said, “Guess that’s not very romantic, huh?”

"Not really. It’s oddly kinda hot, but, no, not very romantic.”

“Fair enough.” Shane flopped over on his back, still snickering.

Review: After experiencing several inexplicably creepy events on his family's new homestead (complete with creepy barn and creepy woods), Caleb realizes there's something to the stories he's heard about the place being haunted. I was on the edge of my seat (and wrapped tightly under a blanket) throughout most of the book as I pieced together what happened to Toby all those years ago. It was a delicious mystery that turned out to be an achingly beautiful tale of love and loss.

As Caleb and his friends uncover more and more of the truth regarding the 60-year-old mystery, they are forced to face their present-day fears and open up to each other in a way that causes them to form closer bonds of friendship, family, and love.

Although what happened to Toby (the ghost) is tragic, he is able to touch each of these boys in a very special way, and in the end, find his own peace. This is a remarkable tale beautifully told.

Ross McCoubrey is donating all proceeds from the sale of this novel to The Youth Project in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Learn more about the project on their website or visit them on Facebook.

Review by Madison