Better the Devil [Hardcover]

A harrowing, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a queer homeless teen who, in a bid for safety, assumes the identity of a boy who went missing ten years ago...only to find that his new home is anything but a safe haven—fromAll That's Left in the Worldauthor Erik J. Brown!

Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Ryan La Sala.

When a runaway teen is arrested for shoplifting, he's desperate not to be sent back to the hyper-religious parents he knows will never accept him. While at the police station, he notices a resemblance to the aged-up photos of Nate Beaumont, a child who went missing ten years ago—and, in a moment of desperation, he takes Nate’s identity in hopes that it will help him make a quick getaway. 

Before he can run again, Nate’s family arrives and welcomes him home to a life he never had. As Nate watches and waits for his chance to escape, he finds that the Beaumonts are nurturing and loving, very different from his own parents.

But soon unsettling things start to happen—vandalism, alarms going off in the middle of the night—and it becomes clear that someone knows Nate isn't who he says he is...and that the real Nate wasn't kidnapped, but murdered.

As he starts to unravel the mystery, he gets ever closer to the devil he may know—and learns he might be their next victim.

“Readers won’t be able to look away. A grisly, unflinching, and twisty page-turner that takes an honest look at human nature.” -Kirkus Reviews?(starred review)

"This addictively engrossing mystery blends unrelenting suspense with a genuinely heartfelt found family story. [A] brillliant thriller." -Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“A compelling thriller that is not for the faint of heart” -The Horn Book

"A chilling domestic thrilÓ$