A Good Idea

by Cristina Moracho

Overview

Can the right kind of boy get away with killing the wrong kind of girl?

Finley and Betty’s close friendship survived Fin’s ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits continued to bind them together, and in the fall of their senior year, they both applied to NYU, planning to reunite for good as roommates.
 
Then Betty disappears. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admits to drowning her, but his confession is thrown out, and soon the entire town believes he was coerced and Betty has simply run away. Fin knows the truth, and she returns to Williston for one final summer, determined to get justice for her friend, even if it means putting her loved ones—and herself—at risk.
 
But Williston is a town full of secrets, where a delicate framework holds everything together, and Fin is not the only one with an agenda. How much is she willing to damage to get her revenge and learn the truth about Betty’s disappearance, which is more complicated than she ever imagined—and infinitely more devastating?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451476241
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/28/2017
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cristina Moracho is the author of Althea & Oliver. She lives with her dog in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
 
Find her on Twitter @cherielecrivain

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "A Good Idea"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Cristina Moracho.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

2016-10-19
A young woman returns for the summer from her mother's in New York City to her dad's house in a small Maine town, intent on uncovering what actually happened to her best friend, who is only officially recognized by the police as missing even though her ex-boyfriend confessed to—but then recanted—having killed her. Finley is set to begin at NYU in the fall, but the loss of her troubled friend Betty drives her back to insular Williston to spend one final summer there in the late 1990s. An incredibly tangled web immediately presents itself, and she meets Serena, whom Betty met when her parents sent her to a religious summer camp and to whom Finley develops an intense attraction. Together, they do all they can to force the truth to come to light. Lushly evocative writing sets an atmospherically dark and foreboding tone from the start, and secrets are harbored by nearly every character, all of whom appear to be white. Finley is a distant narrator, tough and smart, and though she spends a fair amount of time downing pills, drinking, and having sex with both the town drug dealer, Owen, and Serena, her grief and anger over Betty are believable motivating forces that keep her asking questions and seeking revenge. A discomfiting, gripping mystery with plenty of sharp edges. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Sharp as a fistful of broken glass, dark and twisted as the woods at night, A Good Idea is rural noir at its creepy, literary best." —Laura Ruby, National Book Award Finalist and Printz-winning author of Bone Gap
 
“A Good Idea is a dark, unsettling thriller—I couldn't put it down until its haunting end. All the feel of classic noir, twisted up for a new generation.” —Amanda Panitch, author of Damage Done and Never Missing, Never Found
 
“I read this book breathlessly. Moracho has crafted an irresistible page turner.” —Kate Scelsa, author of Fans of the Impossible Life
 
“A Good Idea is a harrowing and beautifully crafted thriller about how far we're willing to go for the people we love—whether or not they deserve it. Cristina Moracho has talent to burn.” —Sarah McCarry, author of About a Girl

"A chilling mystery set in the '90s that errs on the side of noir, this story will leave you captivated and intrigued." —Buzzfeed
 
"Lushly evocative writing sets an atmospherically dark and foreboding tone from the start, and secrets are harbored by nearly every character . . . A discomfiting, gripping mystery with plenty of sharp edges." —Kirkus Reviews

"A powerful look at moral gray areas and the fluidity of forgiveness. Moracho’s characters are realistically and heartbreakingly flawed, and her fast-paced, windy narrative presents new wrinkles at every turn." —Publishers Weekly

"Moracho’s setting, a sleepy coastal town swathed in superstition and sea, shines. Edgy, atmospheric, and sometimes steamy, this is a thoughtful portrait of grief and an engaging examination of the risks we take for the ones we love." —Booklist

"The writing is richly noir, and the characters are engaging. Teens who like mysteries, twisted and dark, and those who like secrets all around will enjoy this thriller." —VOYA

"[A] subtle look into the dark places that minds, particularly those of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, can go and the different factors that can drive them there . . . Well-written." —School Library Journal

Cristina Moracho’s writing is
 
“Standout.” —Time Magazine
 
“Gut-wrenching.” —People
 
“Mesmerizing.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
“Unforgettable.” —Sarah McCarry, author of About a Girl
 
“Painfully real.”—School Library Journal, starred review
 
“Penetratingly smart.” —Jim Shepard, author of Project X and You Think That’s Bad

subtle look into the dark places that minds, particularly those of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, can go and the different factors that can drive them there. VERDICT While this title will appeal to mystery fans, its best audience will be older teens seeking a well-written

From the Publisher

Alex McKenna’s gravelly timbre captures the attitudes of rough, rebellious Finley Blake. Finley, who lives in New York City, travels back to the small Maine town where she grew up, determined find out the truth behind the murder of her best friend, Betty. Driven by her quest, she turns herself into a noirish detective as she interrogates former classmates, trespasses, manipulates friends and family, lies, vandalizes, and steals. She also finds a sleuthing partner in—and then falls in love with—the troubled Serena. McKenna gives Serena even more hoarseness than Finley’s. By the end, McKenna’s voice seems almost grating as Finley’s dogged efforts increase her despair, yet she remains a sympathetic character. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2017 - AudioFile