Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Here Come the New Books for May 2016! (part 7)

Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw
Contemporary Fiction 
When Scarletts beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren't the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series -- they're the real-life kids from her high school.
See How They Run by Ally Carter (Embassy Row book 2)
Action/Adventure 
 Grace Blakely believed that finding the truth about her mother's murder would finally give her peace, but now she knows that it is only the beginning of the secrets that will dominate her life--and make her a target on Embassy Row in Adria.
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Contemporary Fiction 
The son of a Pentecostal preacher faces his personal demons as he and his two outcast friends try to make it through their senior year of high school in rural Forrestville, Tennessee without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self.
Simpsons Comics: Colassal Compendium Volume One by Matt Groening
Graphic Novel 
Spend a blue-ribbon day with the Simpsons at the springfield Fair ; beat the summer heat with Homer and Lisa ; travel to a parallel dimension for an extraordinary super team-up featuring Bartman, Stretch Dude, and the Cupcake Kid ; and even venture into the future, where the Simpson family might very well be responsbile for saving (or destroying!) the world!
Soldier by Julie Kagawa (The Talon Series book 3)
Paranormal
When forced to choose between safety with the dragon organization Talon and being hunted forever as an outcast, Ember Hill chose to stand with Riley and his band of rogue dragons rather than become an assassin for Talon. She's lost any contact with her twin brother, Dante, a Talon devotee, as well as Garret, the formerenemy soldier who challenged her beliefs about her human side.As Ember and Riley hide and regroup to fight another day, Garret journeys alone to the United Kingdom, birthplace of the ancient and secret Order of St. George, to spy on his former brothers and uncover deadly and shocking secrets that will shake the foundations of dragons and dragon-slayers alike and place them all in imminent danger as Talon's new order rises.


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

New Books for April 2016 (part 1)

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Science Fiction 
For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She's been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the giant, genetically engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas's first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas's dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup and teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea. 

After The Woods by Kim Savage
Mystery 
An emotionally-charged debut novel about the deadly lies hidden beneath a destructive friendship. One year ago, two best friends, Liv and Julia, were attacked in the woods by a paroled predator. In an attempt to save Liv, Julia was left behind while Liv escaped. After spending three days in the woods trying to escape her abductor, Julia was rescued. She only remembers what happened in the woods in terrifying flashbacks. Now, on the eve of the anniversary of the attack, a body is found in the woods. This discovery rips open fresh wounds between the two girls as the truth about Liv's role in the kidnapping is revealed.

All-New Ultimates vol 2: No Gods, No Masters by Michel Fiffe
Graphic Novel (Comic Book) 
Spider-Man, Black Widow, Kitt y Pryde and Cloak & Dagger can barely hold back the carnage of vengeful sewer leaders Vermin and Agent Crock! Meanwhile, the Bengal joins the police squad just in time to deal with Scourge's murderous aftermath...but will Scourge break out of prison and conti nue his killing spree of costumed crusaders? And will the hunt for Crossbones reveal a deeper, darker secret behind the city's rampant crime wave? As the all-new Ultimates battle superpowered mercenaries the Femme Fatales and the white supremacist meth-head militia the Watchdogs, the team's ulti mate nemesis makes his first deadly play - and Miles and co. will never be the same when it hits! It's the deadliest battle of the super street war!

The Best Summer Programs for Teens 2016-2017 by Sandra L. Berger
Nonfiction 
Record numbers of teens are applying to selective universities and the competition to gain entrance into college is tougher than ever before. The 2016-2017 edition of The Best Summer Programs for Teens helps teenagers find the coolest, most exciting, and most fulfilling summer programs across the United States. College-planning expert Sandra L. Berger provides students and parents with advice on using summer opportunities to help gain entrance into selective universities, and guidance on researching, choosing, applying for, and making the most out of summer programs. Students will be able to peruse the updated directory of more than 200 of the best summer opportunities in the areas of academic enrichment; fine arts; internships and paid positions; leadership and service; math, science, computer science, and technology; and study abroad or international travel, to find the program that fits them best.

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
Contemporary Fiction 
Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won't beat them. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home to Moke and Auntie. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn't know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won't tell him. The boys only wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their impoverished family. Instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast; they spend day after day living on little food and harvesting beans in the hot sun - dangerous, backbreaking work. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive - until Khadija comes into their lives. She's the first girl who's ever come to camp, and she's a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. 

Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward
Action/Adventure 
Between Mother Nature and human nature, disasters are inevitable. Lea was in a cemetery when the earth started bleeding. Within twenty-four hours, the blood made international news. All over the world, blood oozed out of the ground, even through the concrete, even in the water. Then the earth started growing hair and bones. Lea wishes she could ignore the blood. She wishes she could spend time with her new girlfriend, Aracely, in public, if only Aracely wasn't so afraid of her father. Lea wants to be a regular teen again, but the blood has made her a prisoner in her own home. Fear for her social life turns into fear for her sanity, and Lea must save herself and her girlfriend however she can.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

New Books for the Best Month ~ March 2016 (part 8)

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Contemporary Fiction 
A gender-fluid teenager who struggles with identity creates a blog on the topic that goes viral, and faces ridicule at the hands of fellow students.

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer
Mystery
On his own Thomas Bellweather hasn't been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad's cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect. Not that there's any evidence. But before Thomas got to Frederick there had only been one other murder in twenty years. The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her friend was the other murder vic. And she'd like a couple answers....Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden. The more they dig, the more it seems the only way they'll hear the real story is from the source--the killer. Not the kind of future plan a college recruiter likes to hear. But then, the better it works, the less likely either of them is going to have a future. . .

Titans by Victoria Scott
Action/Adventure 
Seventeen-year-old Astrid Sullivan belongs to a family of compulsive gamblers, and now that her father has been laid off from his job in Detroit and lost all their money betting on the Titans, which are half-horse, half car, and race around impossible tracks, her family is falling apart--but when Astrid's new friends give her the chance to participate in this year's Titan races, she thinks she sees a way to win some money and keep her family together.

Traffick by Ellen Hopkins
Contemporary Fiction 
In her bestselling novel, Tricks , Ellen Hopkins introduced us to five memorable characters tackling these enormous questions: Eden, the preacher's daughter who turns tricks in Vegas and is helped into a child prostitution rescue; Seth, the gay farm boy disowned by his father who finds himself without money or resources other than his own body; Whitney, the privileged kid coaxed into the life by a pimp and whose dreams are ruined in a heroin haze; Ginger, who runs away from home with her girlfriend and is arrested for soliciting an undercover cop; and Cody, whose gambling habit forces him into the life, but who is shot and left for dead. And now, in Traffick , these five are faced with the toughest question of all: Is there a way out? How these five teenagers face the aftermath of their decisions and experiences is the soul of this story that exposes the dark, ferocious underbelly of the child trafficking trade. Heartwrenching and hopeful, Traffick takes us on five separate but intertwined journeys through the painful challenges of recovery, rehabilitation, and renewal to forgiveness and love. All the way home.


New Books for the Best Month ~ March 2016 (part 4)

It's All Your Fault by Paul Rudnick
Contemporary Fiction 
Seventeen-year-old Caitlin Singleberry is a proper Christian teenager and member of a family singing group, but today she has been given a truly impossible assignment--keep her cousin Heller Harrigan, Hollywood wild child, out of trouble for the last weekend before her first big movie debuts.

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth
Paranormal 
When she was ten years old Kenna discovered that she had the ability to drain the life from another human being, and ever since she has been afraid to touch anyone--but when she uses that power to save her mother and twin sister from an attacker, her mother finally reveals the secret origin of her power, and she is forced to choose between the Kalyptra and a human life.

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Historical Fiction 
Near the turn of the nineteenth century, Dr. Thornhollow helps teenaged Grace Mae escape from the Boston asylum where she was sent after becoming pregnant by rape, and takes her to Ohio where they put her intelligence and remarkable memory to use in trying to catch murderers.

The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis
Graphic Novel 
In Scarper Lee's world, parents don't make children--children make parents. Scarper's father is his pride and joy, a wind-powered brass construction with a following sail. His mother is a Bakelite hairdryer. In this world, it rains knives and household appliances have souls. There are no birthdays--only deathdays. Scarper knows he has just three weeks to live. As his deathday approaches, he is forced from his routine and strikes out into the unknown--where friendships are tested and authority challenged.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Contemporary Fiction 
Blind sixteen-year-old Parker Grant navigates friendships and romantic relationships, including a run-in with a boy who previously broke her heart, while coping with her father's recent death.



Monday, February 1, 2016

Curl Up With One of February's New Books (part 3)

Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe
Action/Adventure
In a not-so-distant future London, riots have become the norm. But when the government suddenly stops distributing Concentr8--a behavioral modification "miracle" drug akin to Ritalin--the city's residents rise up fiercer than they ever have before. Amidst the chaos, five teens pick a man seemingly at random and chain him up as a hostage in a warehouse. Blaze is their leader, and Troy has always been his quiet sidekick--the only person he has ever trusted. But even Troy didn't see this coming, and as their story unfolds over six tense days, one thing is clear--none of them will ever be the same again. Told from the perspective of multiple characters in a world familiar to our own, this searing look at a group of teens who push back from the margins of society is perfect for fans of thoughtful fiction like Panic and The Program series.

Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Contemporary Fiction 
Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn't fall apart the way he feared. But Braden got it wrong: his older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden's father, a well-known Christian radio host has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son's hands; Braden is the key witness in his father's upcoming trial. Braden has always measured himself through baseball. He is the star pitcher in his small town of Ornette, and his ninety-four mile per hour pitch already has minor league scouts buzzing in his junior year. Now the rules of the sport that has always been Braden's saving grace are blurred in ways he never realized, and the prospect of playing against Alex Reyes, the nephew of the police officer his father is accused of killing, is haunting his every pitch. 

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Historical Fiction 
Helen must make a choice: Save her reputation, or save the world. London, 1812. Eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall is on the eve of her debut presentation at the royal court of George III. Her life should revolve around gowns, dancing, and securing a suitable marriage. Instead, when one of her family's maids disappears, she is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few able to stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons that has infiltrated all levels of society. Carlston is not a man she should be anywhere near, especially with the taint of scandal that surrounds him. Yet he offers her help and the possibility of finally discovering the truth about the mysterious deaths of her parents. Soon the two of them are investigating a terrifying conspiracy that threatens to plunge the newly Enlightened world back into darkness. But can Helen trust a man whose own life is built on lies? And does she have the strength to face the dangers of this hidden world and her family's legacy?

Don't Stay Up Late by R. L. Stine
Action/Adventure 
In the small town of Shadyside, don't stay up late, because horrible things can happen... Both day and night, Lisa Brooks is plagued with nightmares and hallucinations. Could they be caused by the horrifying accident that landed her in the hospital for weeks? When Lisa finds out that a neighbor is looking for a babysitter for her little boy, Lisa jumps at the chance to keep busy and take her mind off of her troubling thoughts. But then the murders start -- and her friends begin dying one by one. Are Lisa's nightmares coming true? 

The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones
Historical Fiction
When Evan's father dies suddenly, Evan finds a hand-bound yellow book on his desk--a book his dad had been reading when he passed away. The book is the diary of a Japanese soldier stranded on a small Pacific island in WWII. Why was his father reading it? What is in this account that Evan's grandfather, whom Evan has never met before, fears so much that he will do anything to prevent its being seen? And what could this possibly mean for Evan? In a pulse-quickening mystery evoking the elusiveness of truth and the endurance of wars passed from father to son, this engrossing novel is a suspenseful, at times terrifying read from award-winning author Tim Wynne-Jones.


Tuesday, January 5, 2016

New Books for the New Year - January 2016 New Books part 4

Gateway to Fourline by Pam Brondos
Fantasy 
Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition.
Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.
Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home.

The Game of Lives by James Dashner
Science Fiction 
The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and Kaine grows stronger by the day. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box--if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.

Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn
Science Fiction 
After being imprisoned for a crime she has yet to commit, Callie, with the help of her childhood crush Logan, escapes in hopes of running from the government and her future.

Harley Quinn vol 3: Kiss Kiss Bang Stab by Amanda Conner
Graphic Novel 
Harley was certain she could have it all: She could be the world's best landlord, protect Coney Island from the scum of the Earth, woo Mason Macabre, work her day job as a psychiatrist, volunteer at the puppy shelter...but that's a whole lot of spinning plates, and eventually they're bound to start breaking! What happens when a psychopath cracks up? Is it possible for Harley to go even more insane?! Collects HARLEY QUINN #14-15, HARLEY QUINN ANNUAL #1, HARLEY QUINN VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL #1, and HARLEY QUINN HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1

The Edge of Forever by Melissa Hurst
Action/Adventure 
In 2146, seventeen-year-old Bridger, one of a small group of people born with the ability to travel to the past, investigates why his by-the-book father traveled to 2013 to break the most important rule of time travel--to prevent someone's murder.




New Books for the New Year - January 2016 New Books part 3

Dead Boy Detectives vol 2 by Toby Litt
Graphic Novel 
From the pages of THE SANDMAN, Neil Gaiman's intrepid dead schoolboys head back to the horror that is St. Hilarions School--the place where they both were murdered. 
Written by Toby Litt and illustrated by Mark Buckingham (FABLES) DEAD BOY DETECTIVES VOL. 2 features the second mysterious arc from the new hit series from Vertigo. Collects DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #7-12.

Da Vinci's Tiger by L. M. Elliott
Historical Fiction 
In fifteenth-century Florence, the dashing Venetian ambassador commissions young Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of his Platonic love, Ginevra de' Benci, a well-educated, teenaged poet in a passionless marriage, propelling her into the world of art, politics, and romance, with all of its complications.

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick
Action/Adventure 
After witnessing a murder, high school senior Stella Gordon is sent to Nebraska for her own safety where she chafes at her protection, but when she meets Chet Falconer it becomes harder for her to keep her guard up, and soon she has to deal with the real threat to her life as her enemies are actually closer than she thinks.

The College Football Championship: The Fight for the Top Spot by Matt Doeden
Nonfiction 
Follow the building excitement around college football, from the first game in 1869 to the most recent playoffs to determine the best college team in the nation. Relive the most incredible games and blunders, and examine a wealth of statistics.

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson
Fantasy 
In medieval Hagenheim, Germany, seventeen-year-old Rapunzel asks God for guidance as she tries to dutifully serve and obey her unpredictable mother, yet fulfill her dream of learning to read and marrying.


New Books for the New Year - January 2016 New Books part 2

Calvin by Martine Leavitt
Contemporary Fiction 
Born on the day the last Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was published, seventeen-year-old Calvin, a schizophrenic, sees and has conversations with the tiger, Hobbes, and believes that if he can persuade the strip's creator, Bill Watterson, to do one more strip, he will make Calvin well.

The August 5 by Jenna Helland
Fantasy 
Tommy Shore, one of the twin sons of the chief administrator of Seahaven, learns to his dismay that the government has been keeping secrets, and when he joins up with some rebels at the Seminary, he must go against everything his father stands for.

Attack on Titan vol 7 by Hajime Isayama
Manga (Japanese Graphic Novel) 
The Survey Corps sets a cunning trap to capture the mysterious Abnormal Titan that broke through their ranks. As Armin tries to determine the grotesque creature’s identity and purpose, scouts report Titans closing in on all sides! But they don’t seem to be after the humans – instead they’re targeting the Titan!

Assassination Classroom vol 6 by Yusei Matsui
Manga (Japanese Graphic Novel) 
The 3-E students discover that Koro Sensei's greatest weakness might be a common substance. Will they be able to use it to assassinate him while he helps Meg, formerly of the varsity swim team, with her greatest weakness? The next assassination attempt, implemented by Terasaka, is more elaborate but endangers his fellow students. Can he save them without saving his target? Then, the top class at school, including Principal Asano's son, conspires to prevent 3-E from ever rising closer to the top!

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings
Science Fiction 
Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is the dark and compelling sequel to the bestselling The Murder Complex, which Booklist praised as "carefully crafted ... chilling" and Justine magazine called "a must for fans of action-packed dystopians like The Hunger Games and Divergent."With short, fast-paced, alternating point-of-view chapters, The Death Code starts several weeks after The Murder Complex ends. Zephyr keeps the secret about Meadow close that if she dies, The Murder Complex will be destroyed, too. Meadow, desperate to find her brother, father, and little sister, is determined to fight fearlessly to the end, even if it means sacrificing herself and her friends, new and old. The Death Code introduces a memorable cast of secondary characters and delivers a vivid and scary thrill ride read.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

My Gift to You ~ New Books for December (part 5)

Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
Science Fiction 
The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan, where aristocratic Thane Kyrell and rural villager Ciena Ree bond over their love of flying. Enrolling at the Imperial Academy together to become fighter pilots for the glorious Empire is nothing less than a dream come true for the both of them. But Thane sours on the dream when he sees firsthand the horrific tactics the Empire uses to maintain its ironclad rule. Bitter and disillusioned, Thane joins the fledgling Rebellion--putting Ciena in an unbearable position to choose between her loyalty to the Empire and her love for the man she's known since childhood. Now on opposite sides of the war, will these friends turned foes find a way to be together, or will duty tear them--and the galaxy--apart?

The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong
Action/Adventure 
Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for. Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn't dare reveal. The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with "issues". But that's exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage. The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree. Riley and Max know that if they can't get out, they'll be next--but they're about to discover that even escape doesn't equal freedom.

Master Builder 3.0 Advanced: Minecraft Secrets by Triumph Books
Nonfiction 
Players who mastered the basics with Minecrafter and leveled up with Minecrafter 2.0 Advanced can now become experts with Minecrafter 3.0 Advanced. Readers can delve into the complex advanced-player worlds of Brewing, Enchanting, and Farming for items and experience and learn how to start making the Holy Grail of Minecraft creations: the megabuild, and make it look great by learning how to use visual boosters like skins, resource packs, and shaders. This book details the brand-new modes of play, such as the drama-filled Adventure maps that present a whole new set of challenges for advanced players to complete. As the game has evolved, so has the player-favorite Redstone system, and dozens if not hundreds of new mods, mini-games, servers, and builders have come into being. This gamer’s guidebook also contains the most up-to-date information on the latest updates, including some game-changing new features, helping you achieve expert Minecrafter status.

Storm of Lightning by Richard Paul Evans
Michael Vey book #5
Science Fiction 
Michael, Taylor, Ostin, and the rest of the Electroclan go on their most dangerous mission yet as the thrilling action continues in this electrifying fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling series!The resistance movement has been compromised. The Voice is in hiding. Their families are missing. Can the Electroclan pull together to defeat the Elgen once and for all?

Ms. Marvel: volume 4 Last Days by Willow Wilson
Graphic Novel (Comic) 
When the world is about to end, do you still keep fi ghting? From the moment, Kamala put on her costume, she's been challenged, but nothing has prepared her for this: the Last Days of the Marvel Universe. Fists up, let's do this, Jersey City. Plus a VERY special guest appearance fans have been clamoring for!


My Gift to You ~ New Books for December (part 2)

Fair Tail volume 23 by Hiro Mashima
Graphic Novel (Manga) 
SLAYING A MECHANICAL DRAGON!
The king of Edolas has taken a final stand in the fearsome, magic-proof Droma Anim! The only ones who can stop him are Fairy Tail's three dragon slayers. But how can magic stop a magic-proof killing machine? Discover the final fate of the world of Edolas!

Fantasy Sports vol 1 by Sam Bosma
Graphic Novel 
In Sam Bosma's debut graphic novel, a young explorer and her musclebound friend go treasure hunting in a mummy's tomb - but if they want to get rich, they're going to have to best the mummy in a game of hoops! Can they trust their bandaged adversary to play by the rules? Or will they be stuck in the tomb forever?

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
Action/Adventure 
Natasha Romanov, called the Black Widow, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, rescues a young girl from Ivan, the man who once trained her as an assassin--and eight years later she is called upon to protect the teenager Ava has become from a threat from the past--and possibly from S.H.I.E.L.D itself.

Emergent Behavior by Nicole Taylor
Bots book #1
Science Fiction 
A robotics genius, Edmond West has developed a plan to create the world's first Artificial Intelligence truly indistinguishable from a human being. His Bots will eradicate global slavery and allow humanity to channel its darkest impulses safely, harming only these soulless machines. His greatest success, however, may also be his undoing. He's finally created the perfect humanoid robot; perfectly intuitive, perfectly emotive… and perfectly unpredictable.

The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly
Mystery 
 It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.
I work at Gramps's diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He's almost like a stranger now. I can't figure it out...or why I'm having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn't be having.
Then one of the cakes disappears.
When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it's up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I've ever known about myself — and Alex.