High summer in Acker's Gap, West Virginia—but no one's enjoying the rugged natural landscape. Not while a killer stalks the small town and its hard-luck inhabitants. County prosecutor Bell Elkins and Sheriff Nick Fogelsong are stymied by a murderer who seems to come and go like smoke on the mountain. At the same time, Bell must deal with the return from prison of her sister, Shirley—who, like Bell, carries the indelible scars of a savage past. In Summer of the Dead, the third Julia Keller mystery chronicling the journey of Bell Elkins and her return to her Appalachian hometown, we also meet Lindy Crabtree—a coal miner's daughter with dark secrets of her own, secrets that threaten to explode into even more violence. Acker's Gap is a place of loveliness and brutality, of isolation and fierce attachments—a place where the dead rub shoulders with the living, and demand their due.

At thirteen, Anita Naidu was the sole witness to London's notorious cave murders of 1986, which left three children dead.Told seven years later to the police psychologist who interviewed her at the time of the killings, Anita's story exposes the savagery of the schoolyard one chilling detail at a time until the truth reveals itself with startling ferocity. Set against the bustling, tourist-packed streets of historic Greenwich, this audacious debut examines sinister events that happen, quite literally, right below the surface. An irresistibly disturbing thriller for fans of A.M.Homes and Mary Gaitskill.

"Redemption and grief, and the love that exists even when people are gone." —The Bookbag Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead. It's been months since Darina has seen her undead boyfriend and her heart is breaking all over again. The wait is slowly driving her crazy. All she wants to do is be with Phoenix, to feel his arms wrapped around her. But to earn the pleasure of that embrace, Darina must track down the crazed killer that shot Summer Madison. Was it a random shooting? Or was the gifted singer the victim of an obsessive fan? As time runs out, Darina will risk her own life to discover the truth. But if she solves Summer's murder, Darina knows it only brings her one step closer to losing Phoenix forever... "Compelling characters coupled with a powerful mystery. A real page turner." —Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading4kids

A queer poet documents depression and grief in this autobiographical novel-in-verse.

"Detective superintendent Anders Knutas has gone on holiday leaving Karin Jacobsson, his new deputy, in charge. Can she overcome the resentments within her team and solve ... [a] seemingly motiveless murder? Or will the killer strike again?"--Page 4 of cover

Just when everything seems to be going wrong, hope—and love—can appear in the most unexpected places. Summer has begun, the beach beckons—and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca’s the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on—most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can’t have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon, and Francesca begins to wonder if it’s possible Frankie could be his reincarnation. Knowing Frankie leads Francesca to places she thought she’d never dare to go—and it begins to seem possible to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.

"Martha Armstrong is starting over after a bitter divorce. She moves to the Norfolk countryside with her baby daughter and there she hopes to find peace and enough time to write the children’s book which has been in her head for years. Instead Martha finds a mystery and a chilling ghostly presence"--GoodReads website (viewed Sept. 6, 2011).