LUCY CLARK WILL NOT APOLOGIZE

Lucy’s determined to learn who’s out to get her employer—whether anyone takes her seriously or not.

Sixteen-year-old Lucy Clark attends the Willa Thornton Academy in Texas, where she landed at age 12 after her paternal grandmother passed. Nana had raised her, since her parents travel for work and never stay put for long. Nana’s death hollowed Lucy out, and only her best friend, Dyna, offered any respite. But then an incident results in Dyna’s removal from school and Lucy’s suspension. Lucy is sent on an internship to take care of an elderly woman with dementia in New York. At first she’s upset, but once there, she changes her tune: Jack Zuo, a 19-year-old neighbor, shares her interest in plants, and Edith Fox, her wealthy employer, turns out to be quick-witted and becomes a fast friend. There’s just one problem: Edith believes someone is trying to murder her. Jack and his policeman father don’t buy it, but Lucy does. Soon, suspicious incidents pile up, each more sinister than the last, and as Lucy races to help Edith, she unwittingly becomes more aware and accepting of her own emotions. Lucy’s adventure is lush with opulent gardens, big-city charm, and charismatic characters. Her path to finding both a new home and self-image is hard-won and enchanting. Lucy and Edith are White and Jewish; Dyna has some Jewish and Salvadoran heritage, and Jack is implied Chinese/White.

A beguiling, cozy mystery worth sinking into.