49 Miles Alone

Two teens attempt to move on from the aftermath of sexual violence in this suspenseful novel by Richards (Four Found Dead). While attending a college party in Columbus, Ohio, 19-year-old Aster leaves without her 18-year-old cousin Katie. The next morning, Aster learns that Katie has been raped. Eleven months later, the two meet up in Utah to embark on a four-and-a-half-day hike through the desert. Neither girl has been the same since the party, and both hope that the trek will help repair their fractured relationship. Soon after they begin, Aster injures herself on a cactus. Further misfortunes follow, including a rain-and-hail deluge, a confrontation with scorpions and a rattlesnake, and Aster falling ill. Still, the teens trek on until a pair of hikers with disturbing auras appear, prompting Aster and Katie to flee. Just when it seems things couldn’t get worse for the cousins, they do, yet Aster and Katie prove to be a capable and admirable team. These intrepid heroines inspire hope that this foreboding thriller—boasting unrelenting suspense and unremitting pressures—will end in survival. Most characters are white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (July)