Sydney's deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace-one maintained by "razor men." Kelpie, orphaned and homeless, is blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see Razorhurst's many ghosts. They tell her secrets the living can't know about the cracks already forming in the mobs' truce.
Then Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell, a legendary beauty and prized moll of Gloriana Nelson. She's earned the nickname "Angel of Death" because none of her beaus has ever survived knowing her. Unbeknownst to Kelpie, Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and she knows that Gloriana's hold is crumbling one henchman at a time. As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens the two girls at every turn, Dymphna is determined not only to survive, but to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.Justine Larbalestier on the genesis of Razorhurst
I wrote Razorhurst because I moved to the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills in late 2005 and fell hopelessly in love with it. It's a beautiful suburb full of narrow lanes, grand old pubs, terrace houses, warehouses-it still has a garment district though it's not what it once was. There are multi-million dollar flats alongside housing commission homes. The cashed-up newer residents have yet to drive out the older, poorer residents. There are still students and writers and newly arrived immigrants getting by living in share accommodation.
Justine Larbalestier is an Australian-American writer who was born and raised in Sydney. Her last solo novel, Liar, received four starred reviews, was shortlisted for eleven awards and won four, and was a best book of the year for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). She also wrote How to Ditch Your Fairy and the Magic or Madness trilogy as well as co-editing the anthology Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology with Holly Black. Justine lives in Sydney, Australia where she gardens, boxes, and tweets far too much.
Razorhurst | Justine Larbalestier | 978-1-61695-544-1 | Hardcover | 5.5" x 8.25" | 3/3/15
Soho Teen | $18.99 US/CAN
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