The Runaway

June 24, 2019
In this nail-biter from Overton (The Walls), LAPD clinical psychologist Becca Ortiz and her 16-year-old foster daughter, Ash, have been getting along well. Becca doesn’t know, however, that Ash has reunited with her old boyfriend, Nate Sutton, whom she met on the streets. Nate lives in a tent city on Skid Row with the Tribe, a group of homeless teens ruled by an enigmatic woman named Mo. After one of the Tribe is beaten at Mo’s behest, Nate asks Ash to run away with him, putting the two in Mo’s crosshairs. With the help of Becca’s police sergeant ex-husband, Becca kicks off a relentless cat-and-mouse game with a manipulative, murderous woman who will do anything to keep her “family” together. Readers will root for the deeply empathetic Becca, who’s devoted to helping society’s most vulnerable, and Overton shines a light on the plight of the mentally ill, foster children, and the homeless while building plenty of tension. Fans of bighearted thrillers will find a lot to like. Agent: Eve Attermann, WME.

July 1, 2019
After years on the streets, Ash has finally found a family with Becca Ortiz, a forensic psychologist on the LAPD's mental health evaluation team. They've steadfastly supported each other through Becca's recent divorce from her husband, Christian, and Becca's substance-abuse recovery, so Becca is devastated when Ash disappears without betraying any signs of discontent. Ash never expected to return to the streets, either, until her boyfriend, Nate, turned up one night desperate to flee his street family. Nate belongs to the Tribe, a group of runaway teens led by Mo, a Svengali-like mother figure who is intent on silencing Ash after she witnesses the Tribe brutally punishing a young member. As Ash and Nate attempt to outrun Mo, Becca and Christian scour Skid Row for clues. There, Becca's connections reveal rumors that the Tribe is hunting Ash, and she risks everything to expose Mo's crimes. A twisty ending ties together this moving exploration of street life, betrayal, and reconciliation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2019

Overton launched her career with the international best seller Baby Doll, then followed with The Walls. Her third effort features an LAPD psychologist negotiating the city's dark criminal underworld in search of her runaway foster daughter. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

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