ABOUT WATER IN HER VEINS

A girl unravels a townwide conspiracy when she moves to her late father’s family estate in this dark small-town fireside mystery.

Sixteen-year-old Lola Boyd suffers from a mysterious disease. Her doctors have no explanation for the chronic lethargy, migraines, and lightheadedness that plague her. But when Lola and her mom and stepdad move to Claret Creek, a small rural Colorado town, to live in her late father’s family home, it’s a chance at a new start. Until her condition becomes even more complicated.

Lola begins having memories that aren’t her own—visions from another time that suggest a conspiracy of lies stretching back over one hundred years. The more Lola researches the town’s history, the local creek known for its ancient healing powers, and its revered Dr. Clarett, the more her suspicions begin to rise. Could these visions have something to do with her illness? And why does it seem that her new friends—and the entire town—are so keen to keep her from digging into their past and questioning their superstitions about the infamous Claret creek?

The more Lola discovers, the more she doubts who can be trusted—including her own mother. Now it’s up to Lola to untangle the web and get to the bottom of a multigenerational mystery. For her family, for the town, and for her future.

Advance Praise for WATER IN HER VEINS:

From School Library Journal: “Eerily thrilling, Schuren’s novel has readers on their toes, constantly questioning who can be trusted. VERDICT: A potential town wide conspiracy and links beyond the veil combine for a chilling mystery sure to keep readers eager to unearth the truth.”

From Booklist: “Part mystery, part thriller, the plot moves briskly, incorporating distinctly fleshed-out side characters in Lola’s friendships. Lola is also sympathetically written—not because she is ill, but because she won’t let her illness get in the way of the truth. An engaging, multigenerational mystery.”

From Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: “… the book successfully cultivates some deliciously spooky vibes, building on familiar thriller tropes—an insular small town, rumored witchy relatives, a longtime abandoned house (all the good stuff). Lola is a sympathetic narrator, and her dual battles of dealing with the physical symptoms of her illness all while getting people to believe her is a struggle that sufferers of chronic conditions will find deeply resonant.”