And Don’t Look Back

An orphaned teen unearths terrifying truths about her family’s past in this suspenseful read by Barrow (Bad Things Happen Here). For her entire life, 17-year-old Harlow Ford and her mother have been running from something that’s a secret to Harlow. But before her mother’s death following a car accident, she tells Harlow where to find a safe-deposit box, in which Harlow finds a deed for a house in Crescent Ridge, Wash.; $15,000; several fake IDs; and photographs of family she never knew existed. She also unearths a puzzling news article about the maternal grandmother Harlow has never met, who mysteriously disappeared before her mother went on the run. Intrigued by her discoveries, Harlow breaks her promise to keep running and instead heads to Crescent Ridge, hoping to uncover more about her mother’s past. But the house is not quite what it seems, and as Harlow investigates, she finds more questions than answers. Black lesbian Harlow’s cautious steps toward self-discovery and her own independent future are empathetically portrayed. Brief interstitials gradually reveal more of Harlow’s mother’s past, and tense third-person narration culminates in an edgy, uneasy atmosphere that propels this climactic thriller toward a breakneck resolution. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Oct.)