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Title: Author Laurie Byrne Smith Captures Southern Life and Long-Held Secrets in New Mystery Petey Vanished

New York City, New York, United States, 20th Jan 2026 - Acclaimed southern author Laurie Byrne Smith is proud to announce the release of her captivating new mystery, Petey Vanished! A Novel of Southern Proportions, now available on Amazon in ebook, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover editions. This thought-provoking mystery draws readers into the nostalgic world of a 1950s southern town where innocence and tragedy intertwine in unforgettable ways.In Petey Vanished!, the small-town charm of the post-war South hides an unspoken pain that has haunted an entire neighborhood for decades. When JoBeth returns to her childhood home to prepare it for sale, she discovers a long-forgotten travel trunk filled with family mementos, and the echoes of a painful past. The memories bring back the summer when life was simple, children played freely in the humid air, and the community seemed picture-perfect. But beneath that surface of neighborly warmth lies a dark event no one can forget: the day young Petey Shiner disappeared.As JoBeth reconnects with her childhood friend Billy, long-buried emotions and questions resurface. Together, they begin retracing the threads of the past, searching for truth in a town that learned to look the other way. Their journey through memory and mystery takes readers back to an era when childhood games, southern manners, and front-porch gossip defined daily life, and where silence became the heaviest burden of all.Laurie Byrne Smith’s writing is both heartfelt and unflinching. Her attention to detail brings the mid-century South to life with vivid clarity, the sticky summer air, the voices of neighbors calling across yards, and the quiet power of family bonds. Through JoBeth’s eyes, readers witness how the disappearance of one child can shape generations,...

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