Blood on My Hands - Softcover

Todd Strasser, author of Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, If I Grow Up, and the Help, I’m Trapped . . . series, has written wildly popular middle-grade and teen books of all genres. When he's not speaking at schools and conferences, he makes his home in a suburb of New York City. Todd is active in a number of sports but enjoys surfing most of all. Visit him online at www.toddstrasser.com.

"Callie has a history of violence in her home, a volatile and public feud with queen-bee Katherine Reminigton-Day, and a bloody knife in her hand. On the first page, Katherine lies dead at Callie's feet. What follows is a Fugitive-like mystery with plenty of disguises, double crosses, and red herrings; a race against time; and enough love triangles to do a daytime soap proud. Callie knows she didn't kill Katherine and is determined to find out who did before the authorities find her. Although Katherine was much loved and much reviled, who could have hated her enough to kill her? And who hated Callie enough to frame her for it? Assisted in her getaway and hiding by Slade, the steadfast boyfriend Katherine forced Callie to dump while he was away at basic training, Callie works all the leads she can find. Although the final resolution may feel like a bit of a 'gotcha,' this is a rare teen thriller with an actual mystery that is as quickly paced as it is heart wrenching." ―Booklist

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"Callie knows no one will believe that she did not kill Katherine Remington-Day―after all, someone snapped a photo of her holding a bloody knife over Katherine's dead body. Too scared to turn herself in for fear that she will end up in prison like her older brother, Callie spends several days hiding out from the police. Katherine often manipulated Callie into doing things that she did not want to do, such as breaking up with her boyfriend, Slade, while he was away at basic training. In fact, Callie had started to despise Katherine, and now everyone in town is pinning the murder on her. She is convinced that she can find Katherine's true killer if she can gather more information about the IC, the group of girls in Katherine's inner circle. There is so much Callie does not know about her friends, and soon she will realize that the killer is the last person she would ever suspect. In this sequel to Wish You Were Dead (Egmont USA, 2010), Strasser begins to build suspense from the very first page, right after the murder takes place. Each chapter is composed of a passage set in the present and a detailed flashback that slowly reveals the tumultuous nature of the relationships between members of the IC before Katherine's murder. A great deal of dialogue, short chapters, and straightforward diction will make this a quick read for students who enjoy murder mysteries." ―VOYA