The Killer's Cousin Nancy Werlin 9780007126675

Guilt, murder, ghosts - will David and Lily ever escape the past?

Recently acquitted of accidently killing his girlfriend but still crucified with guilt, 17-year-old David has moved to Massachusetts to complete his senior year of high school. His aunt and uncle have offered him shelter. His attic apartment in their house is full of ghostly shadows at night, his aunt is cold, and his 11-year-old cousin Lily is hostile. As Lily's behaviour becomes more threatening towards him, David wonders what secrets lurk within Lily. The more he thinks about Lily, the more he is forced to deal with his own past. Is Lily a killer too?

Nancy Werlin was born and grew up in Massachusetts and now lives in South Boston. Since receiving her bachelor's degree from Yale College, she has worked as a technical writer in the field of computer software. She was named a Publisher's Weekly Flying Start author for her first book, "Are You Alone on Purpose?", which was selcted as an ALA Quick Pick.

"Highly unsettling mystery in which the reader is never sure who is the killer and who is the cousin. Lily is a fabulously well-realised, manipulative 11-year-old and Werlin is excellent at conveying that uncomfortable formality between family hosts and their teenage guest. Henceforth may everything that the American Nancy Werlin writes be published here in the UK too. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."
achuka

"Gripping from beginning to end"
Sunday Express 21/7/02

"The novel's gothic flavour, compelling minor characters... and subtle exploration of guilt and complicity add texture to this tense psychological drama"
Publishers' Weekly, starred review

"Readers will be hard pressed to put this one down"
VOYA, starred review

"Utterly terrifying psychodrama... Werlin winds the tension to an excruciating point, then releases it with a fiery climax... Teens will find this tautly plotted thriller, rich in complex, finely drawn characters, an absolute page turner"
Booklist

"A gripping and sometimes disturbing psychological thriller... This is not an easy read, as the subject of children who kill will never be an easy one, but it is a book that will make you think"
Bookseller