Overturned

by Lamar Giles

Overview

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas . . .

Nikki Tate is infamous, even by Las Vegas standards. Her dad is sitting on death row, convicted of killing his best friend in a gambling dispute turned ugly. And for five years, he's maintained his innocence. But Nikki wants no part of that. She's been working on Operation Escape Vegas: playing in illegal card games so she can save up enough money to get out come graduation day.Then her dad's murder conviction is overturned. The new evidence seems to come out of nowhere and Nikki's life becomes a mess when he's released from prison. Because the dad who comes home is not the dad she remembers. And he's desperately obsessed with finding out who framed him—and why.As her dad digs into the seedy underbelly of Vegas, the past threatens everything and Nikki is drawn into his deadly hunt for the truth. But in the city of sin, some sinners will do anything to keep their secrets, and Nikki soon finds herself playing for the biggest gamble ever—her life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545812504
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Lamar Giles is the author of The Getaway; Spin which was a New York Times Editors' Choice and a YALSA Quick Pick; Overturned, which was also a YALSA Quick Pick; Not So Pure and Simple; Fake ID, which was an Edgar Award finalist and a YALSA Quick Pick; and Endangered, which was also an Edgar Award finalist. He the editor of the anthology Fresh Ink and has contributed to many other anthologies as well. Lamar is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. He resides in Virginia with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Sixteen-year-old Nikki Tate, a keen observer with a wonderfully dry and witty noir voice, is a detective-fiction hero in the tradition of Sam Spade, Kinsey Millhone or perhaps most relatably given her age and amateur status, Veronica Mars…Giles…is in top form, weaving together the threads of his whodunit-and-why and resonantly depicting his characters' home and school lives. As a poker genius Nikki may be a singular sort of teenager, but she's grounded in desires and motivations that make her story as moving as it is thrilling.

The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll

01/23/2017
Famed poker player Nathan “the Broker” Tate is back in Las Vegas and free from death row after fresh evidence overturns a wrongful murder conviction. When he winds up dead outside his casino, his 16-year-old daughter, Nikki, already responsible for running the business and carrying on his legacy at the card table, starts doing some detective work in order to bring his killer to justice. High-stakes gambling, low-level espionage, and more typical high school concerns intersect, though the talk of football rivalries and choosing colleges can sometimes feel out of place against the deadly serious backdrop. Giles (Endangered) excels at pulpy crime drama, including a romance with a wealthy casino heir, scattering a trail of clues and bluffs to keep readers guessing. Racial elements at play—the Tates are black while their rivals, the Carlinos, are white—hover in the background, adding another layer to Giles’s murder mystery. Nikki’s sharp observations and self-deprecating sense of humor lighten the overall mood of this dark and twisty thriller. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Lamar Giles

"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller. His thrillers have laid the groundwork for us all. A true king!" —Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Timesbestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood

"Lamar Giles's work always has something to say, and it's well worth your while to listen." —Barry Lyga, New York Times bestselling author of I Hunt Killers

"When I think of Lamar Giles's work, I think of the books that make kids love reading. Whether it's through a fantasy adventure or a nuanced YA novel, he offers readers smart characters who face impossible circumstances that will keep them guessing until the end. A Lamar Giles book never disappoints." —Meg Medina, New York Times bestselling author of Burn Baby Burn

Praise for The Getaway

YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young AdultsYALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

"Timely, thrilling, and gripping from start to finish. An absolute page-turner." —Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"The Getaway grabbed me from page one and didn't let go. I was immediately fascinated and disturbed by the fictional Karloff Country. You too will be lured in and then horrified by the truth behind those perfect customer service smiles..." —Malinda Lo, New York Times best selling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

★"With hints of Cory Doctorow, Jordan Peele, and Richard Matheson, this book stands on its own as a dystopian adventure, but the deeper metaphors around servitude, privilege, class, and solidarity mean that there's a lot to think about as the characters reckon with their proximity to and complicity in violence both local and far-flung. Hold tight: You'll want to stay on this nightmarish roller coaster till the end." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★"This arresting and engaging dystopian thriller interrogates the horrors of racism, classism, unregulated capitalism and eco-fascism." —Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Giles's harrowing dystopian novel combines an exploration of capitalistic greed and systemic racism and oppression with gripping psychological horror, resulting in a read that is guaranteed to terrify." —Publishers Weekly "With elements of adventure, science fiction, horror, and even a bit of romance in a broken world, Giles keeps readers wondering who can and cannot be trusted throughout this page-turning novel." —Horn Book

Praise for Spin

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

"The first test of a whodunit is how heart-stopping and strange a thing has actually been dun. In Spin, Lamar Giles nails the murder...What's even more impressive is the subtle stuff you almost don't notice because Giles wears his intellect so lightly: the masterly knowledge of hip-hop and R&B; the command of technology's uses and abuses; the discerning ear for the way high schoolers talk.... A two-time nominee for an Edgar award, Giles is a terrific plotter...Spin champions the resourcefulness of teenagers and pities the grown-ups—villainous or just clueless—who underestimate them." —New York Times Book Review

* "Not to be missed." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

* "Spin delivers everything you could want in a book: lush, complex characters; a spine-chilling plot; a vividly drawn world; and, best of all, hip-hop." —Booklist (starred review)

★ "This novel transcends its genre." —School Library Journal (starred review)

★"This fast-paced tale seizes attention from the first thrown punch to the final curtain call...." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Lamar Giles has spun together a fast-paced, music-forward whodunit..." —School Library Connection

Praise for Overturned

A YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

★"An utterly compelling whodunit." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Giles, a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and two-time Edgar Award finalist, is in top form, weaving together the threads of his whodunit-and-why and resonantly depicting his characters' home and school lives. As a poker genius Nikki may be a singular sort of teenager, but she's grounded in desires and motivations that make her story as moving as it is thrilling." — New York Times Book Review

"Another Giles winner." — BCCB

"A fast-paced, endlessly intriguing mystery." — Booklist

"Giles excels at pulpy crime drama, including a romance with a wealthy casino heir, scattering a trail of clues and bluffs to keep readers guessing." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

02/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—Nikki is her father's daughter. Just like her dad, Nathan "The Broker" Tate, she is focused, strong-willed, and one of the very best poker players in Las Vegas, a city filled with pros. But when Nathan, recently released from death row for a murder he says he didn't commit, is murdered himself, Nikki has to summon all of her inner resources to find out what really happened to her dad. Why was he so obsessed with the new grand casino in town? What is his connection with its infamous owner, "Big" Bert Carlino? And what really happened the night that landed her father in jail? Learning the answers might be a gamble that could cost Nikki her life. The latest book from Edgar Award finalist Giles is just as fast-paced and suspenseful as his previous titles. All of the characters in the diverse cast are well defined and authentic. Those characterizations, and the believable ways in which Nikki interacts with everyone around her, are the novel's greatest strengths. The mystery never feels forced and seems to flow naturally, gaining momentum as Nikki peels away each layer until everything is ultimately revealed. One slight quibble: some of the poker descriptions don't seem accurate, but these would likely be caught only by someone with poker experience and won't derail the story. VERDICT A fast-paced, compelling mystery and memorable characters and relationships make this selection a first choice for most YA collections.—Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2016-12-14
A fast-paced mystery uncovers a truth hidden by the bright lights of Las Vegas.To bankroll her future escape from Las Vegas, Nikki plays illegal poker games, using her natural skill and training from her father, Nathan "The Broker" Tate. Those skills also help her run the family's failing casino, which languishes because her father is on death row for murdering his business associate. After five years, though, her father's conviction—like so many other black men, he's found to be wrongfully convicted—is overturned and he returns home. Nathan is determined to reveal who framed him, only to quickly end up dead. So Nikki takes up her father's quest and tries to untangle the mystery. Even her blossoming relationship with Davis Carlino—son of local magnate Bertram "Big Bert" Carlino—won't get in the way of finding the truth. Then Nikki discovers how Big Bert and her father are connected…and that Davis could be part of it, too. Is Nikki about to become another Vegas cautionary tale? Nikki is a totally appealing character: gutsy, practical, and strong, at the head of a cast of well-drawn supporting characters. The interracial romance between Nikki and Davis, who is white, is handled deftly, as is Giles' skillful evocation of the townies-vs.-tourists nature of Las Vegas. An utterly compelling whodunit. (Mystery. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews