Along the River Road
High school junior Cassie Nesler is a talented coder enjoying a seemingly idyllic life in San Diego, California, until the tragic death of her mother changes almost everything. This young adult novel introduces Cassie and follows her as she re-locates to rural Arkansas to live with her Aunt Jackie. Still grieving her mother’s death, Cassie gets to know her rural roots and Arkansas family while discovering a local mystery involving her own mother. Cassie and her two new friends, Dylan and Sofia, are intrigued by the story of a car accident that claimed the life of two Doddville High School seniors nearly 20 years earlier placing Cassie’s mother under a cloud of suspicion. The three friends seek to unravel the mystery Along the River Road with the hope that the truth will exonerate her mother and unburden Cassie’s family. Combing through newspaper articles, accident reports, and her mother’s journals and song lyrics, Cassie comes to understand her mother and her mother’s life choices while gaining more knowledge about her own father. Through their efforts, the truth is uncovered, but the price paid might be too high for Cassie.