In the Company of Killers

Seventeen-year-old Natasha “Tasha” Nicastro is used to the power and prestige her name brings. After all, the Nicastros “ruled over this town and Westchester with my father wearing the crown.” Headstrong Tasha has even been tapped to take over Nicastro Developments, the family business. When, during a party, an ambush results in the murder of her father and older sister, Tasha learns the truth—Nicastro Developments is a front for the Nicastro Mafia, “the most powerful criminal organization in New York and along most of the East Coast.” With her life and her family’s reputation on the line, Tasha must partner with her former best friend Leonardo Danesi, heir to a rival mafia family, to track down her father and sister’s killer and uncover who—or what—has been targeting their organizations. As it becomes clear that a third mafia group is making a play for power, Tasha finds her childhood crush on Leo growing while her ex-boyfriend attempts to win her back. In this supenseful debut, Cook deftly wields swiftly paced alternating POVs to weave gripping romantic tension that doesn’t get bogged down by political details. Characters cue as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sabrina Taitz, WME. (Mar.)