Dead Girl Moon

The embattled lives of three teenagers entangle with the murder of a teenage prostitute in a depressed Montana town, in a mystery that draws in power and class struggles, drugs, sex, and economic and personal helplessness. Grace is a 16-year-old runaway, fleeing sexual abuse at home; upon arriving in Portage, she is set up with a waitressing job and a foster home, living in a trailer with a pothead, his alcoholic wife, their out-of-control son, and their orphaned 14-year-old niece, JJ. Also new to town is 16-year-old Mick, who’s grown up on the run with his father, a petty thief. After Grace, Mick, and JJ find a body in a river, they quickly attract attention from powerful and dangerous people in town. Writing with visceral, unsentimental realism, Price (Desert Angel) follows the trio’s attempts to uncover the murder and figure out their lives. This isn’t about Scooby Doo–style hijinks, though: the teens’ miscommunications, naïveté, ulterior motives, and bad decisions have serious consequences, and Price leaves their futures uncertain at best. Ages 13–up. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Oct.)