Orphan

"When Nelia hears three gunshots downstairs in her family living room, her life is upended in ways impossible for her--and the reader--to imagine. The police arrive, her father and beloved older brother are missing, and no one will tell Nelia what has happened. Nelia's mother sends her to live with her aunt and cousin, while the mystery of what has taken place back home hovers over every part of Nelia's new life. At her aunt's house Nelia finds a strange but welcoming environment where the dangers of her previous home recede and Nelia begins to form deep bonds with her substitute family. Then, just as suddenly, Nelia's unpredictable mother takes Nelia to live in the home of her new husband, a wealthy older man whose generosity and affection mask sinister intentions. Along the way, Nelia meets the darkly attractive Hank, who will shape Nelia's fate and lead her to a future far from the struggling working-class neighborhood where her life began"-- Provided by publisher.