Summer is always a party in the small town of Gold Fork, Oregon, but this year will be more memorable than ever—and not for the right reasons.First-person narration alternates among four high schoolers during summer vacation: two boys—brainy Davis and athletic Erik—and two girls—kind Ana and cool drug dealer Georgie. They are friends, of a sort, tied together by an accidental fire at a chapel that took place two years earlier during a church youth group camping trip when the four sneaked out at night to smoke a joint. Summer romances abound as well as complicated family affairs. On top of it all, someone has been committing arson around town, and the big questions everyone is pondering are who—and why? Most of the residents live dead-end, poverty-stricken lives in this tourist town, while the Weekenders who flock there during the summers and for the winter ski season see only a beautiful refuge. The characters are raw, giving this clever, moving story a staggering realism in addition to being a gripping thriller and a compelling critique of society. While there is mention of a Latinx community in Gold Fork, all main characters are white except for Latina Ana and her mother.In part coming-of-age story, mystery, and romance, this book has something for everyone. (Mystery. 14-adult)

If it wasn't for the fire that burned the chapel down, the four of them wouldn't be friends. Nerdy, graphic novel writing Davis; quiet and careful Ana; vivacious drug-dealer Georgie; and troubled jock Erik ey make no sense as a foursome, but here they are, lifers in the summer town of Gold Fork, watching the weekenders come and go. It's been years since they accidentally burnt down a chapel together, a secret that cemented their friendship, but this summer, things are changing: an arsonist has been setting other fires around town, and long-buried, surprisingly connected secrets are coming to light crets that may change not only their friendships but the courses of their lives. In alternating perspectives between the four teens, Saldin (The Girls of No Return, 2012) offers up a twisty psychological drama that's as much an exploration of small-town life and class dynamics as it is a mystery. From ominous beginning to full-throttle end, it will have readers hooked.

In contrast to the weekenders who flock to their Oregon resort town, Ana, Erik, Georgie, and Davis are "Dead Enders," year-round residents and no strangers to the poverty and violence beneath the town's touristy veneer. Bound together by witnessing an arson, the four teens narrate their interlocking stories in first-person narratives of elegant prose with careful pacing.

Summer is always a party in the small town of Gold Fork, Oregon, but this year will be more memorable than ever—and not for the right reasons.First-person narration alternates among four high schoolers during summer vacation: two boys—brainy Davis and athletic Erik—and two girls—kind Ana and cool drug dealer Georgie. They are friends, of a sort, tied together by an accidental fire at a chapel that took place two years earlier during a church youth group camping trip when the four sneaked out at night to smoke a joint. Summer romances abound as well as complicated family affairs. On top of it all, someone has been committing arson around town, and the big questions everyone is pondering are who—and why? Most of the residents live dead-end, poverty-stricken lives in this tourist town, while the Weekenders who flock there during the summers and for the winter ski season see only a beautiful refuge. The characters are raw, giving this clever, moving story a staggering realism in addition to being a gripping thriller and a compelling critique of society. While there is mention of a Latinx community in Gold Fork, all main characters are white except for Latina Ana and her mother.In part coming-of-age story, mystery, and romance, this book has something for everyone. (Mystery. 14-adult)

A bustling Oregon resort town provides the backdrop for four friends navigating a pivotal summer in Saldin-s (The Girls of No Return) emotionally resonant novel. High school juniors Ana, Davis, Erik, and Georgie are -Dead Enders,- full-time Gold Fork residents gearing up for the intrusion of the Weekenders, who are anxious to take advantage of the town-s sparkling lake. Georgie deals drugs to save up for her dream of taking her band to the city; quiet Ana struggles to understand her single mother; brainy Davis works for the local paper; and star athlete Erik just lost a scholarship, his best chance to escape an unhappy home life. A fire that destroyed an empty church two years earlier links these unlikely friends, and when a lake cabin burns down, too, arson is suspected, opening old wounds and threatening to reveal long-held secrets. Told in alternating first-person chapters, Saldin-s novel poignantly explores the inner lives of four teens and the darkness and poverty that lie underneath the veneer of a golden summer. This thoughtful, atmospheric read will linger with readers. Ages 14-up. Agent: Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary Agency. (May)