Other People’s Secrets

Baby, the protagonist of Hambrock’s dynamic debut, faces a number of disruptive changes in her life: her adoptive mother’s death, her mentor’s disappearance, and the possible sale of Oakwood Hills, the failing lakeside resort where Baby works and considers home, to her on-again, off-again boyfriend’s wealthy sister, Amelia. While trying to undermine Amelia’s efforts to buy the resort, Baby learns of a safe full of cash at the bottom of the lake and sets out with some friends on a dangerous underwater search for it. When meth dealer and recently released jailbird Big Mike returns to Oakwood Hills to look for the same treasure, the enraged Baby bands together a ragtag army of locals to beat Big Mike at his strong-armed game. If she can thwart Big Mike, Baby could get everything she’s ever wanted. The discovery of a connection between her family and criminal activity turns Baby’s quiet search into a complex race against time. Surprising plot twists match eccentric, reckless characters. Readers will be curious to see what Hambrock comes up with next. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Words. (Sept.)