About the Author

David Bell is an assistant professor of English at Western Kentucky University. He received an MA in Creative Writing from Miami University in Ohio, and a PhD in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati.

Reviews

Reads like a collaboration between Michael Connelly and the gothic fiction of Joyce Carol Oates . . . A winner on every level
*Will Lavender*

Cemetery Girl grabbed me by the throat on page one and never let up. . . the work of a master
*John Lescroart*

A haunting meditation on the ties that bind parent to child, husband to wife, brother to brother. An absolutely riveting, absorbing read not to be missed
*Lisa Unger*

Bell follows his 2011 debut, Cemetery Girl, with an artfully constructed tale that charts the devastating, life-changing effects over 25 years on the people most affected by the murder of a four-year-old boy, Justin Manning, in Dove Point, Ohio. Justin's sister, Janet, and playmate Michael Bower, then seven-year-olds, were supposed to look after Justin in the park where he disappeared. A 17-year-old black boy, Dante Rogers, was arrested for the crime, tried as an adult, and served 22 years in prison. When the local newspaper revisits the killing, so perforce do Janet; her father, Bill Manning; her 15-year-old daughter, Ashleigh; and Det. Frank Stynes, who was part of the original investigation. Bower's return to Dove Point and a stranger hinting at new knowledge about Justin's death prove to be catalysts for a total re-examination. The quiet dignity of Rogers, the secrets the Mannings buried with Justin, and the conscience-clearing efforts of Stynes make for a powerful, provocative novel. Agent: Laney Katz Becker, Markson Thoma Literary. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.