Bad Creek

A grieving teen delves into the sordid secrets of a popular summer destination and uncovers more than she bargained for in this thrilling genre mash-up. Though 16-year-old Iris Garren and her two mothers have been vacationing in Bad Creek, Mich., for a decade, the familiar locale feels different without Iris’s older sister, Glory, who drowned in the local lake last year. The event was ruled an accident, but Iris doesn’t believe it. As she eases back into her summertime routine, she catches up with friends and fellow vacationers Gum and Aidan. On the other side of the lake live the wealthy Clavey family, which bends to the will of religious patriarch Grandpa Bill. The history of the Claveys is inextricably woven into that of the town, leading Iris to believe that the Claveys—specifically Bill’s grandson and Gum’s cousin, Hudson—are responsible for Glory’s death. While investigating the drowning, Iris, Gum, and Aidan each contend with personal challenges, and stumble upon supernatural secrets about Bad Creek. In this eerie debut, June considers the effect that Grandpa Bill and the Clavey brood have on the town, injecting introspective examinations of religious trauma and wealth disparity into a bone-chilling paranormal plot. Main characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. (June)