Gr 8—11—Ames Ford, 15, has a picture-perfect, posh lifestyle and a loving family. Her father has always been their rock, providing a steady income and a comforting embrace. But when he's fired for embezzling from his clients during unstable economic times, everything comes crashing down. Suddenly the Ford household is filled with secrecy and arguments. As the family begins to fall apart, Ames finds herself rebelling against her good-girl image. Shoplifting, smoking marijuana, and sneaking out at night are her obvious cries for help, but they fall on deaf ears with her parents. Hurt and alone, Ames makes friends with 22-year-old Marc, who seems to understand her feelings. He is mysterious, confident, and controlling—and he carries a handgun. Suddenly, Ames is caught in a dangerous conflict in which she actually considers Marc's plan to kill her parents. The descriptions of the family's financial privations will translate for most teens, though what Ames will have to live without may seem overplayed to some. This fast-paced psychological thriller will leave readers disturbed, enthralled, and clamoring for more. Fans of the author's What Happened to Cass McBride? (Little, Brown, 2006) will thoroughly enjoy this chilling account of a good girl gone bad.—Stephanie Malosh, Donoghue Elementary School, Chicago, IL
Ames's once-wealthy family loses everything after her dad embezzles money and they're forced to move to a decrepit shack in Texas. There, Ames falls for Marc, a bad-boy who understands her--especially her fury at her parents' betrayal. The riches-to-rags plot is a stretch, but Ames's fixation on creepy yet seductive Marc drives the story to a gripping conclusion.
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