A Good Idea - Hardcover

"Sharp as a fistful of broken glass, dark and twisted as the woods at night, A Good Idea is rural noir at its creepy, literary best." --Laura Ruby, National Book Award Finalist and Printz-winning author of Bone Gap "A Good Idea is a dark, unsettling thriller--I couldn't put it down until its haunting end. All the feel of classic noir, twisted up for a new generation." --Amanda Panitch, author of Damage Done and Never Missing, Never Found "I read this book breathlessly. Moracho has crafted an irresistible page turner." --Kate Scelsa, author of Fans of the Impossible Life "A Good Idea is a harrowing and beautifully crafted thriller about how far we're willing to go for the people we love--whether or not they deserve it. Cristina Moracho has talent to burn." --Sarah McCarry, author of About a Girl "A chilling mystery set in the '90s that errs on the side of noir, this story will leave you captivated and intrigued." --Buzzfeed "Lushly evocative writing sets an atmospherically dark and foreboding tone from the start, and secrets are harbored by nearly every character . . . A discomfiting, gripping mystery with plenty of sharp edges." --Kirkus Reviews "A powerful look at moral gray areas and the fluidity of forgiveness. Moracho's characters are realistically and heartbreakingly flawed, and her fast-paced, windy narrative presents new wrinkles at every turn." --Publishers Weekly "Moracho's setting, a sleepy coastal town swathed in superstition and sea, shines. Edgy, atmospheric, and sometimes steamy, this is a thoughtful portrait of grief and an engaging examination of the risks we take for the ones we love." --Booklist "The writing is richly noir, and the characters are engaging. Teens who like mysteries, twisted and dark, and those who like secrets all around will enjoy this thriller." --VOYA "[A] subtle look into the dark places that minds, particularly those of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, can go and the different factors that can drive them there . . . Well-written." --School Library Journal Cristina Moracho's writing is "Standout." --Time Magazine "Gut-wrenching." --People "Mesmerizing." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Unforgettable." --Sarah McCarry, author of About a Girl "Painfully real."--School Library Journal, starred review "Penetratingly smart." --Jim Shepard, author of Project X and You Think That's Bad subtle look into the dark places that minds, particularly those of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, can go and the different factors that can drive them there. VERDICT While this title will appeal to mystery fans, its best audience will be older teens seeking a well-written

Fin and Betty were best friends, and their friendship endured Fin's ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits bound them together, and they'd both applied to NYU, planning to be roommates. Then, the fall of their senior year, Betty is murdered. Her killer confesses, but his testimony is thrown out. The whole town begins to think he was coerced, and that Betty has simply disappeared. Fin knows the truth, and the summer before college - her last summer in Maine - she is determined to bring her best friend's murderer to justice. But Williston is a town full of secrets, nothing is as it appears, and everyone, including Fin, has an agenda. This whip-smart, tense thriller proves that Cristina Moracho is no flash in the pan: she has talent to burn.