All the Pretty Things

One

 
Hon. Morgan is missing.  

That s how Dad put it when he called. I d been in the passenger seat, trying to recover from my airplane nerves, wishing my mom would drive a little faster, when my phone buzzed in the cup holder.

Good thing I wasn t driving. Mom and I were both tired after the early-morning flight back to New Hampshire. I had offered to drive home from the airport, but we both knew I was still too rattled to be operating a car.

Missing . . . like missing missing? I asked. I tend not to be very eloquent when I m anxious. And Dad has a way of overdramatizing things, so I wanted to clarify. 

Umm . . . yes . . . missing, Dad said. But don t panic, Ivy. It s only since last night. It hasn t even been twenty-four hours. The police are on it. Everyone s on it. Including me. But you know, Morgan probably just went off with a friend or a boyfriend and forgot to let her mom know.  

That didn t sound like Morgan at all. Morgan is usually pretty careful about not stressing out her mom, since she s raising Morgan and her brother on her own. Morgan is thoughtful, considerate, compassionate. Parents and teachers have been using these adjectives about her since we were twelve. 

My heart started racing, and I started chewing the drawstring of my peasant top. 

So . . . any texts from her? Dad asked. That s why I m calling. I told her mom I d ask you. I tried to call earlier, but I guess it didn t go through because you were on the plane.  

Oh. Now I felt even worse. I know that cell phones often work on flights, but I always turn mine off to minimize any chance of inadvertently helping my flight crash. 

So, hon. Did you hear the question? Any texts or other contact from Morgan in the last day or so?  

No, I said softly. 

The truth was I hadn t heard from Morgan in three days. And I had been

Emily Arsenault is the author of several literary mysteries, including In Search of the Rose Notes, a Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year; The Broken Teaglass, a New York Times Notable Crime Book; and The Evening Spider. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter. All the Pretty Things is her second novel for young adults. To learn more about Emily and her books go to emilyarsenault.com or follow her on Facebook.

All the Pretty Things is a skillfully plotted mystery, bursting with the glare and feverish energy of its summer amusement park setting. The atmosphere creeps up on you, wraps you up, and transports you to Fabuland with Ivy, where you ll discover that among the roller-coasters and cotton-candy stalls, dark secrets await.   Holly Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl s Guide to Murder

A dark and timely thriller that explores the messy bonds of friendship and family. It kept me guessing until its satisfying, heartbreaking conclusion. Amelia Brunskill, author of The Window

"Taking turns right up to the end...this is more than a thriller, filled with mystery and intrigue. It also speaks to the complexity and internalized struggle of guilt, loss, and loving someone you can t trust."  SLJ

"Atmospheric,...the dark treatment of a unique setting will be enough to intrigue readers looking for something in the vein of Courtney Summers' Sadie."  Booklist