Nate made dangerous enemies in prison-a gang called Aryan Steel has put out a bounty on his head, counting on its members on the outside to finish him off. He takes her from the front of her school into a world of robbery, violence, and the constant threat of death. Louis Post-Dispatch - BooklistĪ propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father.Įleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, when she is unexpectedly reunited with her father, Nate, fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car.

Nate takes Polly to save her life, but in the end it may very well be Polly who saves him.*WINNER OF A 2018 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL* She Rides Shotgun is a gripping and emotionally wrenching novel that upends even our most long-held expectations about heroes, villains, and victims. But can their powerful bond transcend the dangerous existence he's carved out for them? Will they ever be able to live an honest life, free of fear? Nate, in turn, learns what it's like to love fiercely and unconditionally-a love he's never quite felt before. She finds herself transforming from a shy little girl into a true fighter. Out on the lam, Polly is forced to grow up early: with barely any time to mourn her mother, she must learn how to take a punch and pull off a drug-house heist. Nate and Polly's lives soon become a series of narrow misses, of evading the bad guys and the police, of sleepless nights in motels. They've already murdered his ex-wife, Polly's mother. Louis Post-Dispatch Ī propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father.Įleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, when she is unexpectedly reunited with her father, Nate, fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car. *WINNER OF A 2018 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL*

She rides shotgun book