We Burn Daylight

A Texas teen tries to rescue his crush from a Branch Davidians–like cult in Johnston’s gripping sophomore novel (after Remember Me Like This). In 1993 Waco, rebellious 14-year-old Roy, son of the local sheriff, meets California girl Jaye Carroll and falls hard. Jaye’s mother, Marie, brought her there after meeting Perry “Lamb” Cullen at a gun expo and agreeing to join his flock of disciples in Texas. Jaye, who’s now living with Marie on Lamb’s compound, is skeptical of his doomsday prophesies and unnerved by his stockpiling of weapons. When she tells Roy about the obsessive attention Lamb pays to her, Roy enlists his dad’s help to rescue her, setting the stage for a Shakespearean tragedy of star-crossed lovers. The propulsive plot, which builds to a violent raid on the compound following the sheriff’s discovery of Lamb’s arsenal, is juxtaposed with colorful excerpts from a present-day podcast called On the Lamb, featuring interviews with former cult members and their loved ones including Jaye’s father, who rails about the “pissant pedophile” who “cost me a family.” Amid the plethora of stories about cults, this stands out. (July)