The Distant Dead was named a Best Book of Summer 2020 by People Magazine and Parade, and was chosen by CrimeReads as a Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2020

A body burns in the desert... Does the boy who found it know more than it seems?

Sal Prentiss, orphaned and burdened with a terrible secret, just wants a place to belong. Sal lives with his uncles on a desolate ranch in the hills, and finds himself at the centre of a brutal murder mystery when he discovers the body of his maths teacher, charred almost beyond recognition, half a mile from his uncles' compound.

In the seven months he worked at Lovelock's middle school, the quiet and seemingly unremarkable Adam Merkel had formed a bond with Sal and was one of the few people to look out for the boy.

Nora Wheaton, the school's social studies teacher, sensed a kindred spirit in Adam - another soul bound to Lovelock by guilt and duty. After his death, she delves into his past for clues to who killed him. For Sal's grief seems shaded with fear, and Nora suspects he knows more than he's telling about his teacher's death.

"One of the best books I've read this year.... I found the story engrossing and loved Young's use of language to draw you into the heart of the story" - Crime Pieces

"Powerful and poignant" - People (Best Books, Summer 2020)

"Honestly engaging" - New York Times Book Review

"A chilling modern murder mystery... Young gets inside the minds of children, understanding the fears that keep them silent in the face of a terrible crime" - Sunday Times (A Best Crime Book of 2022)

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An...impressive tale of American gothic