Don't Let Them Leave

In Don't Let Them Leave, Mike Lucas (What We All Saw) delivers a creepy and suspenseful historical thriller for readers aged 12 and over. The story follows Charlotte, Jack and Emily, whose privileged life is upended when their parents die and they are sent to live on the mysterious Black Island with a grandmother they never knew existed. Lucas unfolds the mystery through the eyes of 13-year-old Charlotte, the eldest sibling. Though Charlotte anchors the story, Jack and Emily are fully realised characters, with Emily undergoing the most striking transformation as she matures in response to the family's ordeal. The novel evokes the atmosphere of misfortune in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series, yet this tale's tone is much darker, with supernatural elements more akin to those of Stephen King. Gothic elements, including ominous ravens, also feature, nodding to the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe while remaining fresh and original. The serpentine plot skilfully and steadily builds tension, claustrophobia and curiosity. Lucas's vivid characterisation and atmospheric setting make this an absorbing read that will appeal to fans of eerie, page-turning mysteries. Following his award-winning What We All Saw, which won both the CBCA Book of the Year award and the Prime Minister's Literary Award, Lucas again demonstrates his range and versatility. Don't Let Them Leave confirms Lucas as a distinctive voice in Australian children's literature and is well-suited to confident middle-grade and early YA readers.

Books+Publishing

Mike Lucas’s new title, Don’t Let Them Leave, is a gripping read: atmospheric, tightly paced and driven by strong characterisation. The prologue nods to Cornwall’s brutal mining history, cruelty, danger and buried violence, before plunging the reader into a chilling horror story. Orphaned after the tragic death of their parents, Charlotte, Jack and Emily are sent to bleak Black Island to live with a grandmother they’ve never met. Lucas writes with clarity and control. The prose is highly readable, pulling the reader into a macabre tale full of tension, frights and unsettling twists. As life becomes unbearably dangerous, they are forced to confront a haunting question: can we be held responsible for what we have done in past lives?

The Kids' Bookshop

@mikelucasauthor is fast becoming Australia's leading YA horror and thriller storyteller. And his latest is a great ghost story, reminiscent of ghost stories by Susan Hill and Stephen King. It's sinister, creepy and has all the ingredients of great ghost stories- well drawn characters, atmospheric settings, a fast paced narrative and unexpected twists and turns.

The Children's Bookshop

Don’t Let Them Leave is not a story for the faint-hearted. If you don’t like ghosts, curses or nail-biting tension in your stories, this book is not for you. However, if you do, and you also like Gothic tales steeped in history and legend – along with a dry-mouthed, wide-eyed sensation as you read – then you will love Mike Lucas’ storytelling style in this Young Adult horror thriller. . . . As a reader, you feel the growing weight of Charlotte’s responsibility, the stubborn but childlike determination of Emily and Jack’s sense of overwhelm as he realises he has impossible memories. You wade through the tide and scramble along the cliffs with the children, and are drawn into the house itself, experiencing the same desperate need to leave and get as far away as possible. If you like a bit of history, a taste of mythology and a good dose of trepidation in your YA reading, Don’t Let Them Leave will not disappoint.

Kids' Book Review