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About The Book

“Part coming-of-age story, mystery, and romance, this book has something for everyone.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Emotionally resonant…This thoughtful, atmospheric read will linger with readers.” —Publishers Weekly
“A twisty psychological drama.” —Booklist


For fans of One of Us Is Lying, this novel set during the summer in the small tourist town of Gold Fork features four teens all sharing one secret from their past—and one explosive truth that could change everything.

In a place like Gold Fork, sometimes a secret is the only thing that’s really yours.

Ana, Davis, Erik, and Georgie know that best. Bound together by a horrible tragedy from their pasts, they forged a friendship that has lasted through high school. In a town full of weekenders, they all know what it’s like to be dead enders, fated to stay trapped in a tourist destination for the rest of their lives.

But with the appearance of long-lost family members and an arsonist setting the town ablaze, it’s time to confront the fact that what brought them together years ago might be what ultimately tears them apart.

Because someone is keeping one last secret—a truth that could change everything.

Excerpt

The Dead Enders GOLD FORK IS . . .
But first, let me tell you what it isn’t. This is not a fantasy. It’s not even a love story. There will be no dragons, no spells, no visitors from worlds that look like ours but aren’t, quite. There won’t even be time travel. No one is carried away on an asteroid. No one’s ancestors appear in a nimbus mist to hand over the key to the forgotten city. There will be no castle storming. We just aren’t that lucky.

Or maybe we are. Maybe it is a fantasy, after all. Maybe—yes, definitely—this is a love story. But it’s not the story you’d expect. It never is, in Gold Fork.

About The Author

Photograph by Lindsay Jane Photography

Erin Saldin is the author of The Girls of No Return and The Dead Enders. Erin has lived in West Africa, Brooklyn, and a cabin off the grid in remote Klamath mountains of Oregon. She holds an MFA from the University of Virginia, and her short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Best New American Voices, and Gulf Coast, among others. Erin lives in Missoula, Montana, with her partner, two daughters, and a dog, and she teaches at the Davidson Honors College at the University of Montana.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (July 1, 2019)
  • Length: 448 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481490412
  • Ages: 14 - 99

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Raves and Reviews

"The characters are raw, giving this clever, moving story a staggering realism in addition to being a gripping thriller... In part coming-of-age story, mystery, and romance, this book has something for everyone." Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Emotionally resonant... This thoughtful, atmospheric read will linger with readers." —Publisher's Weekly

"A twisty psychological drama... From ominous beginning to fullthrottle end, it will have readers hooked." —Booklist

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