THE BALLAD OF DINAH CALDWELL

In the late-21st-century Ozarks, a teen seeks revenge against the man who destroyed her family.

Seventeen-year-old Dinah lives a hardscrabble life with her mother and asthmatic younger brother, Warren. Their only saving grace is their well: As drought has ravaged the land, this precious resource allows them to barter with neighbors for food. But Gabriel Gates, a violent, corrupt landowner, won't rest until he has dominion over Charlotte County; his latest show of intimidation leaves Dinah’s mother dead, and, tragically, Warren dies too as he and Dinah run for their lives. Bent on making Gates suffer, Dinah hunkers down with Johnny, a boy who is also on Gates’ wanted list, in the caves he has converted into a home and moonshine distillery. The two scheme to take Gates down and reform local society with the help of others living on the fringes, but Gates is deeply embedded in county politics, law enforcement, and business, and it’s hard to know whom to trust. Dinah desperately misses Kara, her best friend and longtime secret crush, and develops (requited) feelings for Johnny. The evocative worldbuilding and action-packed opening will suck readers in, and the monumental challenge Dinah faces will keep them reading even though the characters never feel well-rounded enough to deepen the emotional stakes. Most main characters are White; Kara has Dominican and German ancestry, and there is diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in the supporting cast.

A thriller that takes on enduring questions of loyalty, vengeance, justice, and equity.