Fly by Night

In this emotionally grounded story with a sibling bond at its heart, Dee Ramirez returns after six years to her New Jersey childhood home, following her twin sister Beth’s abrupt disappearance. The local police’s investigation has run its course, so Dee attempts to search for clues by implanting herself into Beth’s life: transferring into her high school, meeting her boyfriend, and joining the pinelands conservation group to which Beth belonged. As she investigates, the twins’ divorced Latinx father and white mother accentuate the tragic situation with persistent bickering. When Redline Central Gas owner Marshall Monroe secures approval to build a pipeline through the pinelands and Lucas disappears as well, Dee encounters a living Jersey Devil, Veradys, who may know what happened to Beth. Though plot elements compete with one another, undercutting both the mystery’s heft and the climax’s catharsis, exceptional art by O’Connor (The Altered History of Willow Sparks, for adults), with color work by Triona Tree Farrell, features thick, textured brushwork that creates an eerie suburban atmosphere full of tension. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 12–up. Agent: Pete Ryan, Stimola Literary. (Oct.)