Overview

Wicked smart and socially awkward, we meet Mia Compton on her thirteenth birthday. Instead of the painting kit she requested, she receives a handgun, a rite of passage in Kennison, where everyone is required to be armed, or signal if they are not. Mia naively accepts the status quo, 'an armed society is a safe society, ' but everything changes after her best friend, Natalie, is murdered at New Hope Academy by a stalker. As Natalie's death fades from the headlines, Mia becomes isolated and depressed. Her grades plummet and she must leave New Hope. At Jane Addams H.S. she meets Debare, who becomes her lifeline. While studying in Mia's room one evening, they hear gunshots and run downstairs to find Mia's mother lying in a pool of blood. The front door is open and Mia's father is missing. Before Natalie's death, and her mother's murder, Mia and Natalie befriended a homeless woman, Minnie, while on a school field trip. In Minnie, Mia finds the maternal love she craves. Minnie finds in Mia the daughter who was stolen from her at birth. While mourning the loss of Natalie and her mother, Mia regularly visits Minnie at the homeless camp, until Minnie also disappears. Are the disappearances related? Mia is determined to solve the mystery of her mother's murder, and the disappearance of her father and Minnie. What she discovers changes her life and her world view forever. With the help of Minnie and her boyfriend Debare, Mia is finally able move beyond the pain and loss that overshadowed her and her family. Ultimately, Mia finds peace in a rustic cabin away from Kennison. There she discovers herself and her calling, a deep connection to the land.

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Reviews

McElligott has built a fascinating world, and in Mia she's crafted a vibrant central character who keeps me turning pages. You've got all the elements of a great novel here. David Blixt, What Girls are Good For, Her Majesty's Will, The Master of Verona Kathy McElligott's new novel is a page turner. Teenage protagonist Mia, brilliant and resilient, endures a series of challenges that blossom into an action-packed murder mystery, one that evokes images of Hollywood adaptation for this reader. I was impressed by Mia's eloquent voice, the interplay of the well-drawn characters, and the thematic undercurrents. Without a single passage of preachy moralizing, the novel makes a powerful case for confronting the profound social problems of gun violence and homelessness. Robert Lawrence, author of Rock 'n Roll Dreams and In Japan Kathleen McElligott has imagined the unthinkable ... yet disturbingly likely. With a deft mastery of dialogue and an intuitive sense of pacing, McElligott has crafted scenes wrung from the immediacy of an adolescent's world, a story that races from schoolroom to hospital ward to homeless camp, from giddy teen laughter to thoughts of suicide. There is murder here. Kidnaping. And, against all odds, a most satisfying ending to a real-life cautionary tale. Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick, author of Going on Nine and Recorder of Deeds: Terrorism and Trauma, A Journalist's Life-Changing Choice on 9/11 The author channels the voice of a teenage girl with conviction. Most interesting and touching is Mia's relationship with Minnie, a homeless woman, who Mia helps, but who in time became a friend. This reader kept reading to see where the many twists and turns took him, which finally led at the end of the book to Mia's beautiful vision of her best friend and mother, while she was gardening. Martin Altman, Poet, Winner of 2024 Poets & Patrons, category ""Exploring"" This book has a number of advantages, including two strong protagonists in Minnie and Mia. We can trust them to get things done. The action sequences are well-told and easy to follow. You have good characters and a good voice. Mary Wisniewski, author of Algren, A Life McElligott works elements of danger into this action-packed thriller. As the body count increases so do the risks. McElligott's deft development of the many interconnected characters, the layers of discovered secrets, and unlikely alliances include a full range of emotions from joy to terror and most importantly, nearly suicidal grief to feelings of loving acceptance not only from others but of herself. Whitney Scott, President, TallGrass Writers Guild Imagine a state where citizens, including children, are required to carry loaded weapons at all times. Mia defies the law through a series of gun-related adventures. Fascinating! R.J. Nelson, author of ""Dirty Waters, Confessions of Chicago's Last Harbor Boss,"" ""Varnished Truth, Memoir of a Pneumacrat,"" and ""Center Span, Poems and Letters.""

Author Information

Kathleen McElligott's work appears in numerous anthologies and websites. She is a member of The Society of Midland Authors and The Chicago Writers Association. She has read her work at Chicago's Printers Row Lit Fest and other Chicago venues. She enjoys hiking in the Southwest and is an avid bicycle tourist, most recently along the Danube River. She lives outside Chicago with her long-time partner. She wrote about her experiences as a school nurse in her first book, Mommy Machine (Heliotrope Press, 2008). Her second book, 1638 East Palace (Adelaide Books, 2019), is the sequel and continues Elaine and Christa's story. Both books are about sisterhood and will be re-released in 2025.

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