This layered and compelling cozy mystery is all about found family, first love, and one town's tragedies, perfect for fans of Melina Marchetta, Kristin Dwyer, and Nina LaCour.

Brodie McKellon didn't leave town in handcuffs; not exactly. But all the same, in only one night, she lost her best friends and her home. And that same night, the small town of Warwick lost the Adder Stone, a supposedly magical ring of local legend.

The events, Brodie maintains, were not related.

Four years later, Brodie's returned to Warwick on a homecoming mission to identify the real thief and get back everything she lost. She can clear her name, win back her friends Elliott and Levi, and save Gran's house from the bank.

But as Brodie starts investigating, she gets pulled into a different mystery, of three friends and their "dead letters"-mail that's been lost over the years. And soon she finds that there are times when the things you find aren't the things you even knew you had lost. A house becomes a home. Some friends become family. And other friends, well, they might become something more in this contemporary YA mystery. As long as Brodie can be brave enough to find herself.

One town. Two mysteries. And a second chance she can't afford to lose.

• Small Town Secrets: Brodie returns to Warwick to clear her name, only to uncover a trail of long-lost letters and a town history deeper and more dangerous than she remembers.
• Friends to Enemies to Lovers: Levi Sawyer was her best friend, then he believed the worst. Now he's the last person she wants to trust, and the only one she can't stop thinking about.
• A Mystery Within a Mystery: The case of the stolen Adder Stone is what brought her home, but the story of three friends in the "dead letters" might be the mystery that saves her.
• Found Family and Forgiveness: With her best friend Elliott at her side and her Gran's house on the line, Brodie has to learn that home isn't just a place-it's the people you fight for.

About the Author
Lauren Draper is the author of The Museum of Broken Things, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Text Prize. Her work has also been longlisted in the 2019 Richell Prize and has appeared in various nonfiction publications. She grew up in Western Australia, mostly on land but often in water. She now lives in Melbourne with one struggling coffee machine, a moderately behaved golden retriever, and her partner.

Reviews
"Brodie's narration is whip-smart, but her dry wit is tempered by the excerpts of the letters, which have a poignant sense of longing. The dynamics between Brodie, Eli, and Levi are authentically messy, with realistic worries about what their pasts mean for their future. The romance . . . is delightfully sweet, bringing the story to a wholesome end." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "The story unfolds slowly, allowing space for Levi and Brodie's relationship to sweetly bloom, with pranks and sarcastic banter thrown into the mix . . . Funny and vulnerable characters populate this quirky town. Thoughtfully weaves a mystery into a poignant tale about a young woman finding home." - Kirkus Reviews



Book Information
ISBN 9780063340367
Author Lauren Draper
Format Hardback
Page Count 416
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Weight(grams) 431g