James Klise is the author of I'll Take Everything You Have and The Art of Secrets, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Teen Mystery, the Nevada Young Readers Award, and a Booklist Editor's Choice Award, among other honors. His first book, Love Drugged, was an ALA Stonewall Honor Award winner and Lambda Literary Award finalist. His short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the New Orleans Review, StoryQuarterly, Southern Humanities Review, Chicago Tribune, and elsewhere. Mr. Klise earned an MFA from Bennington College. He leads a popular Novel-in-A-Year workshop at StoryStudio in Chicago and, for the past two decades, he has overseen a very busy high school library.
"Where there's smoke, there's fire . . . and apparently, valuable
art! When the Khan family's home is mysteriously burned to the
ground, the funds from a priceless painting come to their rescue.
Through unique journal entries, articles, and interviews, a tangled
web of unusual secrets unfolds." --Teen Vogue "This art mystery is
that rare book that will be passed around by teens as well as
teachers in the faculty lounge, discussed and dissected and
immediately reread to scour for hidden clues and motivations. The
incidents at Highsmith School will stay on readers' minds long
after the last page." --Booklist, starred review "Intriguing . . .
The hairpin-turn twist ending will have surprised readers leafing
back through the earlier parts of the book to search for
foreshadowing, and it will provoke much discussion about who's a
good guy here and who's a baddie." --Bulletin for the Center for
Children's Books "This darkly ambiguous, provocative novel
highlights several themes worthy of discussion, including the
destructive power of secrets and the politics of generosity." --The
Horn Book "Greed, jealousy, and suspicion create a tangled web in
this easy-to-read, creative and thought-provoking story set in the
Chicago area with multicultural characters. Engrossing!" --Skipping
Stones "This is a book about the secret motivations that drive us
all. Klise develops a set of complex characters, both teen and
adult, who, because of the stolen artwork, must deal with their own
beliefs about fairness, belonging, and truth. This mystery is well
crafted and will leave readers guessing as to the identity of the
culprit to the end. This is an excellent addition to collections
where mysteries are popular and will give readers much to think and
talk about." --VOYA "Relationships, secrets and lies aplenty for
caper-loving fans." --Kirkus Reviews
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