Double

Thanks to an uncanny likeness, sixteen-year-old runaway orphan Chap assumes the identity of missing teenager Cassiel Roadnight and gains a seemingly loving family in the process. A dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Chap uncovers the family's secrets. Valentine has carefully crafted Chap's first-person narration in a complex psychological thrill-ride full of betrayal, loss, and ultimately redemption.

Thanks to an uncanny likeness, sixteen-year-old runaway orphan Chap assumes the identity of missing teenager Cassiel Roadnight and gains a seemingly loving family in the process. But Chap, a loner with a mysterious past, doesn't know how long he can keep up the charade and, as Valentine's vivid prose repeatedly reveals, struggles internally with his double identity: "I was Cassiel Roadnight on the surface, but inside I was the lunatic in the attic, the madman in his cell, wailing and jabbering, and scratching and battering the door down to get out." On the verge of running away again, Chap meets Floyd, another teenage loner, who helps him discover the dark truth about Cassiel's disappearance. A dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues, putting Chap's life at risk as he uncovers the Roadnight family's secrets. Flashbacks to Chap's childhood, revealing a grandfather whose own secret has left Chap without a real identity, adds additional mystery to this ripped-from-the-headlines story. Valentine has carefully crafted Chap's first-person narration, narrowing the point of view and forcing readers to fit the puzzle pieces together alongside Chap as his story flips back and forth between the past and present. Building suspense until the two plots finally converge, Valentine's complex psychological thrill-ride full of betrayal, loss, and ultimately redemption will have readers on the edge of their seats. cynthia k. ritter