About the Book
Nora Best heads home to Chateau in search of a fresh start, but her arrival comes at a time of social unrest that threatens to uncover long-hidden secrets.
Nora Best is done running. She’s heading to her hometown of Chateau, to the grand Quail House, to stay with her mother and claim the great American privilege of starting over. But she might find it is hard to start over when the past is catching up . . .
The night Nora arrives in Chateau, a white police officer shoots and kills Robert Evans, a young black man. The officer in question is Nora’s school sweetheart, Alden Tydings. What really happened that night? Did Alden act in self-defense as he claims?
Robert is the nephew of Bobby Evans, a man whose murder during the race protests of 1967 was never solved. Bobby and his sister, Grace, used to work at Quail House before Nora was born and, as tensions in Chateau rise, Nora begins to uncover secrets within her family home that could upend the lives of everyone in town.
Book Reviews
A hypercontemporary look at long-standing social justice issues. – Kirkus Reviews
Florio, a former journalist, uses storytelling to explore the persistence of racism and the far-reaching damage it inflicts. – Booklist
Florio’s suspenseful mystery will have readers rooting for amateur sleuth Nora. – Library Journal, starred review for Best Laid Plans.