A Good Idea

December 12, 2016
The summer after her senior year of high school in New York City, Finley returns to her Maine hometown certain that the drowning death of her best friend, Betty, was murder. As Fin searches for the truth, she must untangle Betty’s lies; confront the young man, Calder, who confessed to but wasn’t convicted of the killing; and face her own demons and deceptions. Bisexual Finley is a strong and troubled heroine, exploring her own identity through a new relationship with a girl named Serena, their shared link to Betty, and an intense and disastrous pull to longtime friend and lover, Owen, who has started dealing drugs to keep his family afloat. Against this dramatic backdrop, Fin must reconcile how far she’s willing to go to protect the people she loves with the small-town politics that allow Calder and his father, the mayor, to do the same. The result is a powerful look at moral gray areas and the fluidity of forgiveness. Moracho’s (Althea & Oliver) characters are realistically and heartbreakingly flawed, and her fast-paced, windy narrative presents new wrinkles at every turn. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House.

Alex McKenna's gravelly timbre captures the attitudes of rough, rebellious Finley Blake. Finley, who lives in New York City, travels back to the small Maine town where she grew up, determined find out the truth behind the murder of her best friend, Betty. Driven by her quest, she turns herself into a noirish detective as she interrogates former classmates, trespasses, manipulates friends and family, lies, vandalizes, and steals. She also finds a sleuthing partner in--and then falls in love with--the troubled Serena. McKenna gives Serena even more hoarseness than Finley's. By the end, McKenna's voice seems almost grating as Finley's dogged efforts increase her despair, yet she remains a sympathetic character. S.W. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine