Heiress of Nowhere - by Stacey Lee Hardcover

About the Book

In 1918 on Orcas Island, eighteen-year-old orphan Lucy becomes heiress to her employers estate after his mysterious death and must clear her name by unmasking a killer linked to eerie seaside legends before she and her beloved orcas become the next victims.

Book Synopsis

An orphan races to uncover a killer--who may have come from the sea--when she and her beloved orcas fall under suspicion in this "atmospheric...beguiling" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) historical gothic mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee.

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college--and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer's severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn't believe in myths. She knows that a human--a human murderer--killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate's vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer--before she becomes the next victim.

Review Quotes

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"A dazzling, twist-filled mystery about love, identity and ambition, Heiress of Nowhere follows a young woman determined to claim her place in a world that would rather see her disappear. Smart, witty, and utterly magical, this is Stacey Lee at her finest."--Isabel Ibañez, author of What the River Knows

"Readers will inhale this gorgeous and harrowing historical mystery, layered with romance and thrills, and cheer on its hero Lucy Nowhere, whose grit and wit are impossible not to love. With its transportive prose and gripping storytelling, Heiress of Nowhere continues Lee's streak of historical masterpieces."--Elizabeth Lim, author of A Forgery of Fate

"Stacey Lee has written a masterpiece of historical fiction, with prose as luminous as spun glass. Wrapped in fog and atmosphere, Heiress of Nowhere is a triumph of storytelling--layered with romance, thrilling mystery, and characters who feel as alive and complicated as the secrets they keep. Take a deep breath and get ready to be pulled under."--Stephanie Garber, author of Once Upon a Broken Heart

"This twisty, gothic mystery has it all--dark secrets, swoony romance, rich history, wild and dangerous beasts, and more than a hint of magic. It's everything you expect from Stacey Lee and more."--Laura Ruby, author of Bone Gap

"With luminous prose and a remarkable heroine, Heiress of Nowhere is a genre-blurring work of art. Teens will be enticed and enchanted through every twist and turn."--Christine Day, author of I Can Make This Promise

"Against a beautifully described natural setting, Lee creates a dark, haunting, suspense-filled atmosphere with a touch of the supernatural. Combining science and myth, this is an exciting story with a multiethnic cast that explores identity, friendship, trust, and caring for nature."--Kirkus Reviews

"Realistically rendered characters navigate fast-paced events with a dash of romance, culminating in a captivating adventure that perceptively ruminates on themes of colonization, gender discrimination, and environmental collapse."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Is Heiress of Nowhere a murder mystery? A fantasy spiked with wealth? A thrilling gothic romance? It is all of those things--and lush, inventive, and impossible to put down. There's only one Stacey Lee, and you get all of her in this book."--Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death

About the Author

Stacey Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of historical young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese's Book Pick; Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews; and Outrun the Moon, winner of the Asian Pacific Award for Literature. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).