Pretending to Be Erica

June 22, 2015
In Painchaudâs sometimes farfetched but psychologically sophisticated debut, 17-year-old Violet has assumed the identity of Erica Silverman, a girl from an affluent family who was kidnapped 13 years ago. Violet is the foster daughter of a con man named Sal who spent 12 years training her in the art of impersonation and reading peopleâs emotions in order to manipulate them. Violet has had multiple cosmetic surgeries to resemble Erica; Sal aims to have Violet gain Mrs. Silvermanâs trust and eventually steal a valuable painting. But several people might be on to Violet, including a psychologist, two students, and a private investigator (Violet isnât the first person to impersonate Erica). Furthermore, Violetâs growing ambivalence over her deception and her desire to maintain honest friendships threaten to break her carefully constructed façade. Painchaud skillfully shifts between first-person (with Violet as Erica) and third-person (as Violet recalls her disturbing upbringing). Many readers will likely hope for Violetâs fraud to go undetected even as they wish her to be freed from the life that circumstances have led her to steal. Ages 12âup. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary Agency.

April 1, 2015
Raised up by her foster father to become the world's best con artist, Violet's disguised as a girl who's both very rich and very dead. Ever since Vegas con man Sal found 5-year-old Violet in the foster system, he's raised her to commit the perfect crime. Now that she's 17, it's finally time for Violet to go into deep cover as kidnapped Erica Silverman. Erica, stolen 13 years ago from her kindergarten, is still the subject of her wealthy mother's relentless search. If Violet can convince Mrs. Silverman she's her daughter, she'll have one shot at the fabled Silverman painting, a $60 million jackpot. Sal's given Violet a lifetime of training in crime and skullduggery, three plastic surgeries over a mere five years, a bone broken and reset to match an old break of Erica's, even a fake DNA sample. Yet the simple realities of high school are overwhelming for previously home-schooled Violet. To maintain her cover, Violet-as-Erica makes friends and is surprised to find she truly likes them. Realism sometimes takes a back seat to premise (Sal's astronomical resources, connections, and skills apparently don't preclude his raising Violet in poverty), but the focus is more on Violet's moral qualms and the difficulty of maintaining two distinct identities. The portrayal of bipolar disorder characterized by mathematical genius and total lack of lucidity strikes a sour note. A thriller premise with a satisfying shades-of-gray resolution. (Suspense. 14-17)

May 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Erica was murdered and buried beneath a tree just outside of Las Vegas; but, when no trace of the missing kindergartner is found, the prevailing theory is that she was abducted and taken across state lines. Master con artist, Sal, knows Erica's true fate and possesses a lock of her hair. He also has a buyer for the coveted work of art-a valuable historical masterpiece-that is locked in a hidden safe in Erica's home, and he is willing to spend years to perfect his plan to steal it. Sal discovers orphaned Violet who, at five, bears a striking resemblance to the dead girl, and he arranges to adopt her. Violet will not be the first to attempt Erica's longed for reappearance, but she will be the first to come armed with DNA evidence and years of careful preparation to pull off the complicated but lucrative art heist. Violet's quick mathematical mind and uncanny ability to read people make her an adept pupil, and at 17, Sal deems her ready. Having spent her life preparing for this role, Violet has never experienced being a normal teen. Suddenly cast into a life of school, friends, and a caring mother, she begins to question who she is and what she wants from life. When the time comes to abscond with the painting, she must decide between the money and hurting the people who love her. Either way, her own loss is unconscionable. Readers, caught up in Erica/Violet's insoluble struggle, are kept guessing right to the satisfying conclusion. VERDICT The realistic, well thought-out plot with its unique cast of characters make this YA crime novel impossible to put down.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 8-11 Painchaud's first novel follows 17-year-old Violet, the daughter of an expert con artist named Sal, who adopted Violet seemingly with the sole intention of training her to execute the con of a lifetime: she is to pretend to be Erica Silverman, the missing child of a wealthy Las Vegas family, now returned home. While acting as Erica, Violet is to discover the security code to a priceless painting locked in a vault in the Silverman mansion, thus setting up the crown jewel of heists. Although a con artist in the making, Violet still has to navigate high school and the classic challenges it bringsboys, drugs, friends good and bad, prom night. Though refreshingly plucky and confident, Violet struggles with ambivalence toward those around her, vacillating between sympathy and repulsion for the overly emotional Mrs. Silverman, who is understandably overjoyed at having her daughter back. Certain plot points will be unconvincing to some readers, but overall, the unique premise and exciting finale make this a strong debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)