Daughter of Deep Silence

Ryan (the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy) takes on a saga of teen vengeance through the cold and assured voice of Frances Mace. At 14, Frances went on a cruise with her parents and met Libby, a sparkling extrovert from an immensely wealthy family. The ship was taken out in a commando-style attack and sank, but there were survivors—ambitious Senator Wells; his son Grey, with whom Frances had a shipboard romance; and Frances herself. But why does the Wells family insist a rogue wave took out the ship? Libby’s grief-stricken father takes Frances in, with the caveat that she impersonate his dead daughter to avoid the “paperwork” of adoption—though he’s not averse to spending months at a European hospital while Frances undergoes facial surgery. Four years later, with finishing school behind her and her faux father dead, Frances uses her wealth to wreak havoc on the senator and the boy who broke her heart. It’s a TV-ready plot that’s skillfully told, but without the consistent insight or empathy that would make it truly hit home. Ages 14–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (June)