Frankie

Book excerpt: Shivaun Plozza’s debut novel, Frankie, is a genre-hopping, darkly funny novel about searching for the truth, finding yourself, and falling in love Frankie Vega is angry. Just ask the guy whose nose she broke. Or the cop investigating the burglary she witnessed, or her cheating ex-boyfriend, or her aunt who's tired of giving second chances. When a kid shows up claiming to be Frankie's half brother, it opens the door to a past she doesn't want to remember. And when that kid goes missing, the only person willing to help is a boy with stupidly blue eyes, a criminal record, and secrets of his own. Frankie's search for the truth could change her life, or cost her everything. “Frankie's a great, gutsy character, full of heart.” —Printz Award winner Melina Marchetta, author of The Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca