First published 2022
Virginia Kelly arrives in her midwest hometown for Christmas and her high school reunion, drawn back by former flame Rosalee's persistent calls and letters. Her parents still hope some man will cure her of being a lesbian, not realizing she grieves deeply for Emery Arkin, the gay friend who helped her embrace her identity before dying of AIDS. The reunion transforms her painful memories of being an outcast nerd. She now stands among the most attractive and successful graduates to return. But Rosalee acts cold and distant despite her urgent invitations. Another former classmate called Spike pursues Virginia relentlessly. A friend's seemingly perfect marriage reveals troubling cracks. Former English teacher Harry Hobart mourns his wife's death by drowning. When more bodies surface, Virginia discovers her homecoming has turned lethal. She must fight to survive as deaths multiply around her.
Genres: fiction, romance, mystery, crime, contemporary, lgbt
Vibes: dark, emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Midwest, United States
Period: Christmas, High School Reunion
256 pages · Paperback · ReQueered Tales
Content warnings: death, mental-illness