Unaccounted For [Kindle Edition]

Nan Willard Cappo (Author)

Book Description

Southeast Michigan, present day. The auto companies are sinking faster than an SUV off Luna Pier, and the job scene is the worst in America. But ever since his father hired on at flourishing Wolverine Motors, Milo Shoemaker feels like a winner. Doesn’t Wolverine make the best fire engines in the world? Their workers must be doing something right.
Then his dad drives over a cliff in the fog. Someone robs their house during the funeral. Did his father die by accident--or did his past catch up with him? To find out, Milo passes up college to take a job at Wolverine, where he uncovers dangerous truths about business, heroes, and the boss’s daughter. Maybe some secrets should remain... unaccounted for.

Editorial Reviews

Review

We first meet Milo Shoemaker...the day of his father's funeral...was it an accident, suicide...or, worse, murder? ...the plot moves along at a brisk pace with plenty of action, romance and intrigue. Milo's unyielding determination to discover the truth and expose corporate fraud will likely make Cappo's page-turner a hit...
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Nan Willard Cappo's first novel was CHEATING LESSONS (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum), an Edgar Award nominee for best YA Mystery, Junior Library Guild selection, and an ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults. She likes to write about ordinary people forced to make extraordinary choices--preferably dangerous ones. UNACCOUNTED FOR was plotted during long drives through southeast Michigan for her day job, selling education materials to schools. Like Hemingway, she took a few liberties with local geography (usually by accident) and hopes sharp-eyed readers will excuse this. Visit her at http://www.nancappo.com

Product Details

• File Size: 401 KB
• Print Length: 453 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983822212
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Tadmar Press; 1 edition (October 26, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0060BCAWO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,792 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great young adult mystery! March 5, 2012

By Rosemary Nelson Cantrell

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a young adult mystery and I really like it. The characters are rich and well-developed. The mystery is really that - a mystery that doesn't get solved until the very end. there is plenty of intrigue, and close calls. There is also realistic moral issues that have to be faced by these young people.

I think adults will like this as much as young adults. Of course, it is the young adults in the story who seek out and find the clues that unravel the mystery of Milo's father's death and the millions of dollars that have been embezzled from Wolverine motors.

There is also the element of young adult romance, which is handled very well by the author. It is there, but doesn't overwhelm the story.

Not wanting to give away the story, I will say that I enjoyed the book and hardly put it down until I had it finished. Mature young adult readers will love it.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for writing a review.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Car country caper by Cappo clicks along . . . December 21, 2011

By Shutta K. Crum

Format:Paperback

Unaccounted For by Nan W. Cappo entertains as it rolls smoothly through to the revelation of how Milo's father died--suicide, accident, or murder? Characters are vividly drawn, and the SE Michigan setting is nicely realized. Good to see a YA/adult crossover novel set in the present-day environs of Detroit that deals with the difficult issue of how far can one go to help others. Wolverine Motors has its problems, but it does support a number of good people by providing work when other car companies are failing. Should Milo continue to undermine the foundations of the company when he begins to understand what might have happened to his father? Cappo gives her characters issues worth fighting for . . . issues that have no easy answers. Milo is likeable and has been raised well. His concern for his young siblings and his widowed mother is admirable. Added to this mix is the gorgeous daughter of the company president. . . . Cappo's multi-layered book delivers a good read. Enjoyed it!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery worth reading! February 9, 2012

By David P

Format:Paperback

When I first received the email to read this book, Nan Cappo, author of Unaccounted For, she had said that this is a young adult book but was recently told it was more of a "new adult" book. I must say I agree (75%) and disagree (25%).

Unaccounted For, begins with a family getting over their fathers suicide to discover their house had been robbed during his funeral. Believing his father had taken the easy way to get out of his gambling debts, Milo Shoemaker is told a secret that destroys his heart. His father smuggled $1 million from the company he worked for, Wolverine Motors. But something just doesn't seem right, and Milo will find out the truth behind this whole thing.

This isn't a book I would normally pick up. But I decided to give it a shot anyway, thinking that I may just enjoy it. I was right for the most part.

I am an avid reader, so I can usually guess the ending of the book within the first 10 chapters. But Nan Cappo totally hid the ending well, I was never able to guess it until it was staring me in the face. The whole time I was hoping for the downfall of the bad guy. I kept thinking that soon they will get hard evidence of this mans crimes but things kept building and building and the puzzle pieces got tinier and tinier. What seemed to be a 25 piece puzzle turned into 500 piece puzzle. This must have taken a long time to completely formulate.

It was an enjoyable mystery and I definitely liked being able to understand the view points of Milo, Ellie, and Zaffer. But what I didn't like was the over attention to detail. And this is where I think its more for the mature YA reader or an adult. For it to be targeted to the young adult audience it has to be a little more vague. I'm not saying that all YA readers like vagueness but if they are anything like me, they like to be able to fill in the details a lot on their own. I tend to get bored when things are overly described. But I know for it to be a mystery, every detail is important, and Nan did a great job in looping all the information together.

In the end would I say that I'm glad I took the time to read this? Yes, I am. I really loved that ending, it was so unexpected and I practically held my breath through it. Would I recommend this to all readers? No, like I said, its more for the analytical mind of adults, but I can see how younger mature reader could enjoy it.

More About the Author

Nan Willard Cappo is a lifelong reader who grew up in Pittsburgh as one of six siblings, attended the University of Notre Dame, and raised three competitive children of her own in Michigan, the setting for her first novel, CHEATING LESSONS--an Edgar Nominee for Best YA Mystery. Her latest novel is also a mystery set in Michigan, but UNACCOUNTED FOR is geared toward older teens (15+) and adults who like danger, suspense, and tough moral choices. One critic described Cappo's work as "entertaining coming-of-age books with a conscience--but no vampires."