Lynn Slaughter

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Published by: Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
Release Date: July 5, 2022
Pages: 328
ASIN: B0B4KGZGFZ

  

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Sam, the daughter of a New England heiress, has tried hard to fulfill her father’s dying wish: “Take care of your mother for me.” Not an easy job. When her impulsive, romance-writing mom announces her engagement to a man whose last heiress wife died under suspicious circumstances, Sam tries to dissuade her mother. But her mom is convinced she’ll finally have the “Happily ever After” she writes about.

And then Sam’s life implodes. Her mom’s fiancé turns up dead, and a mountain of circumstantial evidence points to Sam as the killer. On trial for murder, she fights to prove her innocence with the help of her boyfriend’s dad, an ex-homicide cop.

Just when things are looking especially bleak, Sam uncovers evidence she never expected to find. She faces a tough decision: At what point does the price of loyalty become too high?

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Praise

"Deadly Setup starts quietly and then crescendos to shock after shock. Readers will root for Samantha, trapped and brave and facing a terrifying fate. Outstanding story!"
–Caroline B. Cooney, internationally renowned author of more than 90 young adult novels of mystery and romance, including The Girl on the Milk Carton

"Deadly Setup takes on the complexities of the mother/daughter relationship amid a captivating murder mystery. Slaughter’s page turning prose and insightful look at family relationships are a winning combination. Deadly Setup is a deeply engaging and satisfying book."
–Ellen Birkett Morris, award-winning author of Lost Girls

"Lynn Slaughter is a master at the romantic, young adult mystery. Her spell-binding story follows Samantha as she negotiates the complexity of teen friendships, tries to find out who killed her mother’s fiancé without getting in the way of the adults who are trying to help her, and grapples to understand why her own mother refuses to believe she is innocent."
–Frances Schoonmaker, multiple award-winning author of The Last Crystal Trilogy

"Lynn Slaughter has done it again—created another exciting YA thriller! Her protagonist, Sam, is a savvy teenager who takes it upon herself, with a little help from her friends, to unravel a mysterious death. The characters are engaging and believable, and the story flows effortlessly through the pages. Slaughter has used her background in the arts, a little humor, and her strong writing talent to weave a tale that pulls the reader in right away and keeps you guessing. Another tour de force!"
–Connie Bergstein Dow, author of From A to Z with Energy! and the forthcoming Lively Feet and Beastie Jamboree

"Deadly Setup is a mystery novel that opens with intrigue and an endearing character with a problem! Author Lynn Slaughter guides her young protagonist, Samantha, through the anger and fear of not only being accused of murder, but also imbued with suffering the death of her father, and the shift of her mother’s love to a loathsome, money-grabbing boyfriend. We sympathize with Sam, a talented musician still in high school, as she courageously tries to find the killer on her own… Written for a young adult market, this excellent book also has great appeal for adult audiences."
–Mary Popham, author of Emmalene of Landing Run

"Teen girls and their mothers. Some are best friends; some have confused love/hate relationships. But what if your mother thought you capable of murder? What if your mother thought more about how your troubles affected her, not you? Welcome to Samantha’s world…Sam turns to her friends to help when the unbelievable happens: She is arrested for murder. Deadly Setup is a can’t put it down book."
–Elaine Munsch, author of the comedic mystery Dash Hammond series

"Deadly Setup is a gift for mystery readers. Its plot moves with perfect pacing and its characters remain exciting to the end. It’s a 'can’t put down' adventure."
–Lynn Swanson, award-winning author of Summer Dance

"In the dramatic thriller Deadly Setup, a teenager is accused of murder, testing her friendships and resulting in tumult... Balancing Sam's introspection with her energetic exchanges with others, this is a tense, empathetic tale."
-Foreword Clarion Reviews

"...a perfect legal thriller."
-Reader's Favorite Review