First published 2015
Lizzie Hood and Evie Verver share everything. The thirteen year olds live next door to each other in their Midwestern suburb, trading bathing suits and field hockey sticks. They both worship Evie's glamorous older sister Dusty, who shows them glimpses of teenage life ahead. Lizzie loves the Verver house, where Evie's warmhearted father makes everything feel perfect. Then one summer afternoon, Evie vanishes. The only trace is a maroon sedan Lizzie saw driving past them earlier. Panic grips their community as neighbors demand answers from Lizzie. Did Evie seem upset or troubled? Had anyone been following her? Would she have climbed into a stranger's car? Lizzie begins her own investigation, creeping through backyards at night and peering into windows. She pushes deeper into the dark corners of Evie's life. Dreams of her missing friend haunt her sleep while her new role at the center of the mystery gives her an intoxicating sense of importance. The secrets Lizzie discovers make her question whether she truly knew Evie at all.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, thriller, young-adult
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: missing-person, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Midwest, Suburb
Period: Summer
246 pages · Paperback · Picador