Say Less - by Lamar Giles (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Good Girl's Guide to Murder meets Demon Copperhead in this new fast-paced and wickedly smart read from three-time Edgar Award nominee Lamar Giles!

Welcome to Keysbridge.

Population 5,818 and dropping.

Where I live, everyone knows something -- true or false -- about the Goodwin family. Some say the Goodwins are just a myth born from small-town gossip and lack of opportunities. Others have one of those red-string conspiracy boards that explains how the Goodwins basically built the town and run everything. We're not supposed to ask questions here. Not if you know what's good for you.

And yet, questions abound.

What if there really was one family that ran our town?

What if they messed up, and everything that had been working for years started to unravel?

What if that part started at my after-school job?

What if there were seven dead bodies by the end of everything?

What if it was your friends dying?

Guess I don't know what's good for me because I'm going to answer them all...

Review Quotes

Praise for Lamar Giles

"My twin, Lamar, is a phenomenal innovative storyteller. His thrillers have laid the groundwork for us all. A true king!" -- Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and The Weight of Blood

"Lamar Giles's work always has something to say, and it's well worth your while to listen." -- Barry Lyga, New York Times bestselling author of I Hunt Killers

"When I think of Lamar Giles's work, I think of the books that make kids love reading. Whether it's through a fantasy adventure or a nuanced YA novel, he offers readers smart characters who face impossible circumstances that will keep them guessing until the end. A Lamar Giles book never disappoints." -- Meg Medina, New York Times bestselling author of Burn Baby Burn

Praise for Say Less

"Some books grab you from the first line and don't let go, and Say Less is one of those. Lamar Giles has created a rare thing, an unputdownable thriller with a big, beating heart." -- Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Is Also a Star

"Say Less opens with grief, heat, secrets, and a town where everybody knows something, even if nobody knows the whole truth. Lamar Giles builds that pressure beautifully, and Meela carries you straight into it." --- Jay Ellis, author of Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?

"Giles knows exactly how deep small-town dread can run -- propulsive and razor-sharp." -- Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species

"Say Less is full of gripping details that keep you turning pages, and superb pacing that goes left every time you're expecting a right." -- Ashley Woodfolk, critically acclaimed author of The Beauty That Remains

Praise for Ruin Road

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

"Lamar Giles's latest thriller is filled with chilling haunts and horrors, not just in the magical curse that burdens the main character, but in the authentic real-life struggles and stigmas that plague him. A brilliant concept, deftly executed!" -- Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe series

"Ruin Road brims with malice, each page sure to drag readers into a community's -- and boy's -- fight against the greedy forces preying on them. Exceptional and not to be missed!" -- Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

"Riveting, grounded horror tinged with characters who leap to life. Lamar Giles writes with imagination and urgency that will appeal to all horror fans, as Ruin Road raises an intriguing question with surprising answers: What would we be like if we had no fear?" -- Tananarive Due, American Book Award winner and author of The Reformatory

"A refreshing tale with twists you'll never see coming. Giles crafts an action-packed story, filled with both real-life and supernatural terrors. Ruin Road pulls your heartstrings tight and keeps you on your toes!" -- Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal

"From the first line, Ruin Road lets you know you're in the hands of a master. The story moves with the knowing swagger of its main character, Cade Webster, fascinating, charismatic, and layered. With elements of Stephen King and a double helping of that Giles magic that makes his work so unforgettable, Ruin Road is a blast of terror, heart, and intelligence, with a dash of social commentary. Giles is in peak form, and you don't want to miss out!" -- Maurice Broaddus, author of Unfadeable

★ "Giles's robust descriptions of the setting and nuanced characterization provide this intricately plotted story with incredible depth. Occasional perspective shifts deftly flesh out the landscape of suspenseful supernatural elements, and abhorrent acts of racism bring a sobering sense of reality to this magic-filled story. A riveting thriller that seamlessly incorporates powerful social themes." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ "This edge-of-the-seat thriller uses occult horror elements to explore racism, classism, family, and grief... making this a genre-bending adventure that will leave readers wanting more." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ "This book absolutely delivers as a Twilight Zone-style spine-tingler that's almost impossible to put down." -- Booklist (starred review)

★ "An unnerving, spine-tingling paranormal horror novel driven by a frank and sharp dissection of race and class." -- Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Giles's horror thriller is expertly crafted and indeed truly horrifying, weaving many threads into this tapestry of evil.... Pair this with Giles's The Getaway for a double-header of evil and mayhem." -- Horn Book

"Giles blends horror and social commentary in this innovative tale." -- Washington Post

Praise for The Getaway

YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

"Timely, thrilling, and gripping from start to finish. An absolute page-turner." -- Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"The Getaway grabbed me from page one and didn't let go. I was immediately fascinated and disturbed by the fictional Karloff Country. You too will be lured in and then horrified by the truth behind those perfect customer service smiles..." -- Malinda Lo, New York Times best selling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

★"With hints of Cory Doctorow, Jordan Peele, and Richard Matheson, this book stands on its own as a dystopian adventure, but the deeper metaphors around servitude, privilege, class, and solidarity mean that there's a lot to think about as the characters reckon with their proximity to and complicity in violence both local and far-flung. Hold tight: You'll want to stay on this nightmarish roller coaster till the end." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★"This arresting and engaging dystopian thriller interrogates the horrors of racism, classism, unregulated capitalism and eco-fascism." -- Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Giles's harrowing dystopian novel combines an exploration of capitalistic greed and systemic racism and oppression with gripping psychological horror, resulting in a read that is guaranteed to terrify." -- Publishers Weekly

"With elements of adventure, science fiction, horror, and even a bit of romance in a broken world, Giles keeps readers wondering who can and cannot be trusted throughout this page-turning novel." -- Horn Book

Praise for Spin

New York TimesBook Review Editors' Choice

YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

"The first test of a whodunit is how heart-stopping and strange a thing has actually been dun. In Spin, Lamar Giles nails the murder... What's even more impressive is the subtle stuff you almost don't notice because Giles wears his intellect so lightly: the masterly knowledge of hip-hop and R&B; the command of technology's uses and abuses; the discerning ear for the way high schoolers talk... A two-time nominee for an Edgar award, Giles is a terrific plotter... Spin champions the resourcefulness of teenagers and pities the grown-ups -- villainous or just clueless -- who underestimate them." -- New York Times Book Review

★ "Not to be missed." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ "Spin delivers everything you could want in a book: lush, complex characters; a spine-chilling plot; a vividly drawn world; and, best of all, hip-hop." -- Booklist (starred review)

★ "This novel transcends its genre." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

★"This fast-paced tale seizes attention from the first thrown punch to the final curtain call...." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Lamar Giles has spun together a fast-paced, music-forward whodunit..." -- School Library Connection

Praise for Overturned

A YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

★"An utterly compelling whodunit." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Giles, a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and two-time Edgar Award finalist, is in top form, weaving together the threads of his whodunit-and-why and resonantly depicting his characters' home and school lives. As a poker genius Nikki may be a singular sort of teenager, but she's grounded in desires and motivations that make her story as moving as it is thrilling." -- New York Times Book Review

"Another Giles winner." -- BCCB

"A fast-paced, endlessly intriguing mystery." -- Booklist

"Giles excels at pulpy crime drama, including a romance with a wealthy casino heir, scattering a trail of clues and bluffs to keep readers guessing." -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Lamar Giles is the critically acclaimed author of Say Less; Ruin Road, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year; The Getaway, a YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction title and a Quick Pick; Spin, which was a New York TimesEditors' Choice and a YALSA Quick Pick; Overturned, which was also a YALSA Quick Pick; Not So Pure and Simple; Fake ID, which was an Edgar Award finalist and a YALSA Quick Pick; and Endangered, which was also an Edgar Award finalist, as well as numerous middle-grade novels and comics. He is the editor of the anthology Fresh Ink. Lamar is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. He resides in Virginia with his family.