Red Dirt

June 19, 2017
Sammy Lester has just graduated from high school and has no plans for the summer or beyond, other than helping her father, Bobby Ray, keep partial custody of her half-sister, Decca, and spending time with her best friend before Kenley leaves Lake Bittersweet, Okla., for beauty school. Things get a little more exciting (and complicated) when Sammy meets Brayton Foster, a wealthy city boy and the stepson of the man trying to turn Lake Bittersweet into a luxury resort. When Sammy’s father goes missing and the prime suspect is Redbreast Tuller and his band of unruly drug dealers, she takes the law into her own hands. Through Sammy’s colloquial, hard-edged narration, Jarzab (the Many-Worlds series) persuasively evokes life in a small, poor town where most people live in trailers, work odd jobs, or do manual labor. She gives equal weight to the budding romance between Sammy and Brayton and the mystery of Bobby Ray’s disappearance in what gradually builds into a violent, high-stakes story. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media.

May 1, 2017
Eighteen-year-old Sammy was born in Bittersweet, Oklahoma, and suspects she will die there. But while the red dirt of her home keeps her grounded, she wonders if there is more beyond the county line.Sammy Lester's life plan involves partying, hooking up, and spending time with Decca, her young half sister, but when her father mysteriously disappears, everything changes. Suspecting that the unpredictable Tuller family is to blame, the white teen seeks the help of local law enforcement. But the sheriff, fearing retribution, refuses to help. Sammy's former stepmother takes advantage of the situation and presses to take Decca out of state. With nowhere to turn, Sammy decides to find her own justice. Only the appearance of the incredibly sexy, rich, white Brayton Foster offers any respite from her trouble. Nonstop action and an intriguing mystery will keep pages turning, but the portrayal of rural Oklahomans as drunk, violent, amoral, and foulmouthed is at best reductive and at worst simply offensive. Sammy is strong and loyal, but her reckless behavior, including unprotected sex, heavy drinking, and proclivity for random acts of self-destructiveness, makes her a less-than-ideal heroine. The onslaught of brutal violence, animal mutilation, and attempted rape shifts this narrative from story to shock fiction. Manipulative and unpleasant. (Fiction. 14-18)

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July 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Having grown up in Oklahoma and lived in the backwoods town of Lake Bittersweet her entire life, Sammie Lester is one tough cookie. She doesn't expect to ever leave her hometown, nor does she want to. It may not be the life Sammie's brother has, going to college, or the life her friends want, leaving to discover something new, but it's what she knows and loves-until someone turns it upside down. Her father is missing, and the longer it takes to locate him, the less likely he is to be alive. Sammie has to find not only her dad but also herself in the process. This is a coming-of-age novel for the modern-day Western fan, written with an Oklahoma twang. The mystery of Sammie's father's disappearance is just a small part of the teen's journey to womanhood. Sammie's past, present, and future clash, leaving readers wanting more. Themes of sex, abortion, and murder are woven throughout. Voice and tone are authentic, and fans of the author won't be disappointed. VERDICT A good choice for libraries serving mystery lovers and reluctant readers.-Rena Gibson, Ralph Ellison Library, Oklahoma City

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