An unflinching look at rape culture and its repercussions.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review)) ★ “All three teens are haunted by the memory of Anna’s murder, and Alex’s inclination to both considering and exacting revenge with cruel efficiency leads them all inexorably to an explosive, terrible finale. Alex is a pained girl in dangerous free fall, whose fierce independence is challenged by newfound friendships, even love, though neither may be enough to stave off the inevitable.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review)) ★ “McGinnis gracefully avoids the pitfalls of creating a teenage vigilante, instead maintaining a sense of piercing realism. ★ “Whether a catcall, an unwelcome touch, or more, sexual aggression towards females happens daily McGinnis explores how one teen uses violence for justice in this gripping story that should be read and discussed by teens, as well as those who work with them.” (Booklist (starred review)) McGinnis plays with the readers and they are at her mercy.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)) To say more would be to dilute the experience.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil-and the madness that exists in all of us.★ “Each word has been specifically chosen, each character superbly and humanly sculpted, the plot line masterfully completed.

Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology.

Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum. She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets.

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis