Five Midnights

Biracial “Gringa-Rican” Lupe lives in Vermont but visits Puerto Rico for the summer to see her father’s family in this riveting novel. Soon, her love of true crime bleeds into reality when she visits the first of several peculiar crime scenes overseen by her police-chief uncle. When she discovers that someone—or something—is targeting five estranged friends who once called themselves los cangrejos, she’s intrigued. But when she learns her cousin was also a cangrejo, the crime hits close to home. She pairs up with recovering addict Javier, also a cangrejo, to venture into the world of gang-related drug crimes and try to save her cousin before it’s too late. With a compelling plot and characters that explore alcoholism and addiction, this novel is not only a thrilling mystery but one that will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by these diseases. The spirit of Puerto Rico is infused throughout Cardinal’s solo debut, which is peppered with accessible Spanglish and a peek into Puerto Rican cuisine and barrios. A gripping horror read. Ages 13–up. [em]Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency. (June) [/em]