Doug Horolez is a talentless boy hopelessly in love with his only friend, E. Summerson. That's the good news. When E.'s sister is murdered in the woods behind town, Doug, to prove his devotion, joins a group of local pariahs, led by a deathly ill and eerily charismatic boy, who urges them to dig for clues to solve the girl's mysterious death. But as cultish bonds deepen within the group, their activities become more reckless and vengeful. Doug must then find his voice and act according to his conscience before the price to be loved becomes unspeakable violence. Kelter has created is a coming-of-age novel and psychological thriller that investigates the recurrent mysteries of loss, loneliness, and the precarious desire to belong.