Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls

Based on an actual crime in 1955, this YA novel is at once a mystery and a coming-of-age story. The brutal murder of two teenage girls on the last day of Nora Cunningham's junior year in high school throws Nora into turmoil. Her certainties-friendships, religion, her prudence, her resolve to find a boyfriend taller than she is-are shaken or cast off altogether. Most people in Elmgrove, Maryland, share the comforting conviction that Buddy Novak, who had every reason to want his ex-girlfriend dead, is responsible for the killings.
Nora agrees at first, then begins to doubt Buddy's guilt, and finally comes to believe him innocent-the lone dissenting voice in Elmgrove. Told from several different perspectives, including that of the murderer, Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls is a suspenseful page-turner with a powerful human drama at its core. When the whole town is sure they have the killer, what happens when one girl starts asking the wrong questions? Based on a True Crime: Inspired by a real-life 1955 double murder, this novel plunges readers into the heart of a tragedy that shattered a suburban community.
Small Town Mystery: In Elmgrove, Maryland, gossip travels faster than truth. As paranoia rises, everyone has a theory-and everyone is watching. Wrongly Accused?: Everyone is certain Buddy Novak killed his ex-girlfriend. But as Nora digs deeper, she starts to believe the town has condemned an innocent boy. A Shattering Coming of Age: As Nora hunts for the truth, her own certainties about friendship, faith, and justice are destroyed, forcing her to find her own voice.