The Edge of the Shadows

Gr 8 Up—Mystery author George continues the story of Becca King, who can hear the "whispers" of other people's thoughts. On the run from her evil stepfather, Becca was left on Whidbey Island by her mother in The Edge of Nowhere (2012) and found her powers beginning to grow even as she wove her life into the fabric of the island in The Edge of the Water (2014, both Viking). This time around, the arrival of three new teen islanders at the same time as an arsonist begins menacing the town throws Becca's world into chaos. Isis and Aiden, siblings from Palo Alto, CA, immediately raise suspicions, while Parker, a handsome fiddler from Canada, pursues two friends with hurtful results. When the arsonist burns down an abandoned house, killing a homeless man inside while the teens of Whidbey party nearby, the protagonist and her friends begin separate investigations of the newcomers, searching for the truth. Many plot threads are left dangling for subsequent books, including where Becca's mother is, why Aiden is so interested in Becca's past, mentor Diana's seemingly failing health, and whether the heroine will truly ever be safe from her stepfather. Still, the central mystery wraps up nicely, if a bit hastily, and readers eager to revisit the residents of Whidbey Island will find much to love here.