The Letting Go

Everyone Emily has ever loved has been brutally murdered. The killer has never been caught, but Emily knows who’s responsible.
She is.
It’s the only possible explanation. Emily is the one thing all the victims have in common, which can only mean that someone—or something—is killing them to make her suffer.
Determined never to subject another person to the same horrible fate as her parents, friends, and pets, Emily sequesters herself at a private boarding school, keeping her classmates at a distance with well-timed insults and an unapproachable air. Day after day, she loses herself in the writing of Emily Dickinson—the poet makes a perfect friend, since she’s already dead.
Emily’s life is lonely, but it’s finally peaceful. That is, until two things happen. A corpse appears on the steps of the school. And a new girl insists on getting close to Emily—unknowingly setting herself up to become the killer’s next victim.

Deborah Markus has no degrees, awards, or professional experience to speak of. She does, however, have thousands of books, all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD, three bearded dragons, and one lizard of indeterminate species that she’s taken to calling The Immortal. The Letting Go is her first novel. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

“Wonderfully eerie and disorienting.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The Letting Go is a unique and artfully told story. The mystery will have readers guessing until the end, but it’s the character’s wry and witty voice that will really keep the pages turning. A brilliant debut!” —S.F. Henson, William C. Morris Award Finalist for Devils Within

"When her tragic past collides with her current emotional isolation, Emily must confront her worst fears, culminating in a stunning revelation. A thriller with heart, The Letting Go is about overcoming loss and summoning the courage to be vulnerable." –Yvonne Ventresca, award-winning author of Black Flowers, White Lies and Pandemic

"A boarding school, a loner, and Emily Dickinson: Markus blends these familiar ingredients into a fresh and tasty novel of suspense." – Jenny Hubbard, author of And We Stay, a Printz Honor book

"As strong and fragile as a spiderweb – as beautifully chilling as a Dickinson poem." – Laura Whitcomb, award-winning author of A Certain Slant Of Light.