Edge of Nowhere

Becca King and her mother are on the run from her stepfather who has used Becca's talent for hearing 'whispers' to make a large and illegal sum of money. Now their options for safety are running out. In the town of Langley on Whidbey Island, Becca finds refuge in the home of her mother's childhood friend while her mother continues on to Canada in search of safety. But on her first day in town Becca meets 16-year-old Derric Mathieson, a Ugandan orphan who was adopted as a 10-year-old by the town's Deputy Sheriff. Derric has a secret that no one on Whidbey Island knows.

On Whidbey Island, secrets never stay buried. A mysterious girl who won't speak; a coal-black seal named Nera that returns to the same place every year; a bitter feud of unknown origin - strange things are happening on Whidbey Island and Becca King is drawn into the maelstrom of events. But Becca, first met in The Edge of Nowhere, has her own secrets to hide. Still on the run from her criminal stepfather, Becca is living in a secret location.

Whidbey Island, a place of secrets and mystery, is home now for Becca King, still in hiding from her criminal stepfather. But Becca and her friends have new worries, as a series of fires are being set, the latest causing a fatality. Is one of the newcomers to blame? Perhaps it's Isis Martin's brother, just back from a school for troubled kids, or Parker, a musician fired by his bandmates. Meanwhile, Becca herself continues to slowly explore her own paranormal abilities under the tutelage of Diana Kinsale.

The third novel in Elizabeth George's young-adult series. This genre-bending work combines Elizabeth's flair for crime and suspense novels with the paranormal. Late summer on Whidbey Island after nine weeks of no rain and fire season has arrived...along with a fire starter who soon begins tormenting the residents of this peaceful Pacific Northwest idyll with fires that escalate in intensity. Becca King and her friends, Jenn and Derric, are at the county fair when the third fire starts in a shed housing animals.

Seth Darrow is a straightforward guy, and he likes life to be simple. Lately, it's been anything but. Since his beloved grandfather's stroke, Seth has been focused on getting Grand home again, before his aunt can take advantage of the situation to get her hands on Grand's valuable real estate. Seth would also like to get his relationship with Prynne on solid ground. He loves her, but can he believe she has her drug use under control?

Becca's ability to hear the broken thoughts of others has not turned out to be a fabulous gift after all. It has got in the way of her being able to function in the world normally. More seriously, it makes her think she knows things that she doesn't know at all. Becca's friends are also dealing with stressful situations and coming to terms with troubling discoveries about themselves. Seth Darrow's learning disability makes him vulnerable. The girl he loves is not what she appears to be.