Heiress of Nowhere - by Stacey Lee (Hardcover)

About the Book

In 1918 on Orcas Island, eighteen-year-old orphan Lucy becomes heiress to her employers estate after his mysterious death and must clear her name by unmasking a killer linked to eerie seaside legends before she and her beloved orcas become the next victims.

Book Synopsis

An orphan races to uncover a killer--who may have come from the sea--when she and her beloved orcas fall under suspicion in this historical gothic mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee.

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college--and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer's severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn't believe in myths. She knows that a human--a human murderer--killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate's vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer--before she becomes the next victim.

Review Quotes

"Readers will inhale this gorgeous and harrowing historical mystery, layered with romance and thrills, and cheer on its hero Lucy Nowhere, whose grit and wit are impossible not to love. With its transportive prose and gripping storytelling, Heiress of Nowhere continues Lee's streak of historical masterpieces."--Elizabeth Lim, #1 New York Times bestelling author of A Forgery of Fate

"This twisty, gothic mystery has it all--dark secrets, swoony romance, rich history, wild and dangerous beasts, and more than a hint of magic. It's everything you expect from Stacey Lee and more."--Laura Ruby, Two-Time National Book Award Finalist and author of Bone Gap

"The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee is clever, poignant, and funny. It's a bold portrait of a young Chinese-Ameican woman named Jo who is faced with adversity and finds a creative way to use her voice for the greater good."--Reese Witherspoon on The Downstairs Girl

"A dazzling, twist-filled mystery about love, identity and ambition, Heiress of Nowhere follows a young woman determined to claim her place in a world that would rather see her disappear. Smart, witty, and utterly magical, this is Stacey Lee at her finest."--Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What the River Knows

"Is Heiress of Nowhere a murder mystery? A fantasy spiked with wealth? A thrilling gothic romance? It is all of those things--and lush, inventive, and impossible to put down. There's only one Stacey Lee, and you get all of her in this book."--Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death

"Stacey Lee has made a name for herself by looking a historical narratives through the eyes of the people history deliberately erases. From the Western frontier to the post-Reconstruction era South and . . . the deck of the most notorious ship to sink beneath the waves, Lee gives life to the young women on the Chinese diaspora, writing them back into the story."--NPR

"Stacey Lee has written a masterpiece of historical fiction, with prose as luminous as spun glass. Wrapped in fog and atmosphere, Heiress of Nowhere is a triumph of storytelling--layered with romance, thrilling mystery, and characters who feel as alive and complicated as the secrets they keep. Take a deep breath and get ready to be pulled under."--Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Once Upon a Broken Heart

"Whether teens enjoy mysteries, historical fiction, or both, this is one to get into their hands."--SLJ (starred review) on Kill Her Twice

"Stacey Lee's superpower is her ability to turn history's forgotten into today's unforgettable; you'll never forget the joy and terror of traveling with Valora Luck, whose unsinkable spirit gleams like a rescue flare through the icy murk of the past."--Elizabeth Wein on Luck of the Titanic

Praise for Stacey Lee

About the Author

Stacey Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of historical young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese's Book Pick; Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews; and Outrun the Moon, winner of the Asian Pacific Award for Literature. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).