First published 2018
A handgun enters the classified ads after taking a life. Someone buys it seeking protection. Six people move through one explosive week in a town split by racial and political divides. Rand and Cami struggle as teenage parents trying to hold their marriage together. Silas and Ashlyn belong to a white supremacist group that feeds their anger. Daniel fears for his safety because of his race and grips tightly to his girlfriend Grace. Noelle has lost everything in a terrible accident and slipped into quiet despair. Each person has reason to reach for a weapon. Each has cause to pull the trigger. As their paths cross and tensions mount, the question becomes not whether violence will erupt, but who will fire first and who will pay the price.
Genres: fiction, crime, contemporary, mystery-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Town
Period: Explosive Week
431 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry Books
Content warnings: racism, violence