Books by Marianna Boncek

Sixteen year old Gus Woodard is about to live the best summer of his life. Then something goes terribly wrong. Ajar is a coming of age story about sixteen year old Gus Woodard and his schizophrenic brother. Set during the 1970s in a small town in upstate New York, Gus must suffer the undeserved consequences when his delusional brother kills the local sweetheart and the high school's popular football coach. Gus blunders his way through life as the town turns against his family. He is forced to experience betrayal from those closest to him. Gus's only hope is Lindy a fifteen year old girl suffering from anorexia nervosa. The two become inseparable but the love and acceptance Gus feels with Lindy is soon shattered.

Each year, hundreds of New Yorkers disappear under mysterious circumstances never to be heard from again, with their families and loved ones waiting painfully, as the years crawl by, for some word of what happened to them. This book explores this painful epidemic by highlighting individual stories of the missing and their families, among them a 22-month-old baby and a noted judge. Sections include unidentified missing human remains found in New York State, investigation procedures, and the pros and cons of hiring a private detective or a psychic. Perhaps one of these touching accounts will offer hope that someone, somewhere, might have the missing piece to one of these devastating puzzles and help bring any one of these missing persons home.