By Jon Ripslinger
Genre: Young Adult
Driving home from a bonfire party, eighteen-year-old John Hawk crashes, killing his girlfriend, Riley. Bullied and tormented at school, his guilty conscience crushing him, John transfers to a school on the banks of the Mississippi River, where he attracts the eye of the principal’s daughter, Megan Jones. Though he’s reluctant, she convinces him to be her prom date. The morning after prom, Principal Jones reports Megan missing. Four days later, her body is recovered from the Mississippi River, and John becomes the prime suspect in her death, a rape and murder case.
Charley Cotton, Megan’s best friend, knows that Megan had a secret, but she doesn’t trust John because of his past. John is desperate to avoid adding to the shame he carries for Riley’s death—it’s destroying his life. With Charley’s help, he learns that others in Megan’s life have a motive to keep her quiet. But every effort they make to uncover the truth edges them closer to a desperate murderer with everything to lose.
My Review:
The Weight of Guilt is YA novel with adult crossover appeal. I was struck how author Jon Ripslinger didn’t shy away from discussing hardcore events that teens may face. The characters are well-developed and each have their positive and negative attributes which makes them believable. Lead character John has been dealt an unfortunate hand in life and works towards starting over in a nearby town. Tragedy follows. This book is chock full of suspense, drama, and emotion. The ending of the story was quite the shocker. I’d recommend this book for both young adult and adult readers who like a solid mystery story. Four stars!
After Jon retired as a public high school English at Davenport West High school, he began a career as a young adult author. His credits include eight published YA novels, and he has signed a contract with Red Adept publishing for a ninth YA novel. Jon has been a presenter at the Pen-in-Hand workshops for the Midwest Writing Center, Davenport, IA, and for the David R. Collins Writers' Conference held yearly at St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa. He has also published numerous short stories in Woman's World, a leading woman's weekly magazine. Jon and his wife live in Davenport, where their six children and their families also live. When not working on his computer crafting another story, Jon enjoys collecting music from the '40s and '50s playing pool, and spending time with his family.
Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ripslinger
Twitter: @YAwriterRip
Website: one-minuteromance.blogspot.com
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IlcsEf
On Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Zm44bx
On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1PjNhmB
On Red Adept: http://bit.ly/1Zm4639
The author is giving away 3 $10 Amazon Gift Cards!
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