Review by Kirkus Book Review
LaRue is a beautiful state-run recreational area in Kentucky, perfect for hunting, fishing--and covering up crimes. Lucy Michaels lost Clay, her younger brother, to the floodwaters when the LaRue Dam broke nine years ago. Now 18, Lucy splits time between school and the shooting range, where she practices hitting targets with her air rifle. But tragedy continues to haunt her: Martin Carlin, Lucy's stepbrother, and police officer Deuce Uri, a family friend, are found murdered in the same area where Clay died. The evidence ties their deaths to Neil Clark, Lucy's ex-boyfriend, whose younger sister, Astrid, is mysteriously missing. Lucy doesn't believe Neil killed her stepbrother--she thinks others may have had a motive. After all, Martin suspected that the LaRue Dam disaster wasn't an accident. Could he have been right? The story unfolds through Lucy's perspective, her tense narration effectively portraying a teenage girl who's been forced to grow up too fast. An honest but weary narrator, she intersperses the present-day timeline with flashbacks to the flood. Well-developed supporting characters, such as rifle coach Parson and private investigator Dana, both help and hinder Lucy's sleuthing. The setting is richly developed; rural Kentucky permeates Stevens' atmospheric prose. Most characters are cued white. A twisty thriller following a young woman caught in the crosshairs as tragedies compound. (discussion questions) (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
