Gritty, gripping thriller meets contemporary queer romance in this brand-new YA novel filled with first love, stolen identity and murder, from the award-winning and bestselling author of All That''s Left in the World . "Nathaniel," I say. "Beaumont." "Holy shit," she says under her breath. Holy shit indeed. Homeless, starving and desperate, a sixteen-year-old runaway steals the identity of a missing boy. When Nathaniel Beaumont''s family come to take him home, ''Nate'' is caught in a web of lies. Then he meets Miles - the cute, clever and true crime obsessed boy next door - and his cover is blown. But Miles will help ''Nate'' escape if he can uncover the truth of what happened to his childhood friend. The main suspects? Nathaniel''s parents. As ''Nate'' and Miles'' investigation turns dangerous and their feelings turn real, time is running out to discover who killed Nathaniel Beaumont . . . before they return to finish the job.

Autorentext
Erik J. Brown wrote this book. Despite his inability to write a compelling author bio, Erik was selected as a 2021 Lambda Literary Emerging Writers Fellow. When not writing genre-blending books for young adults, he enjoys traveling and embarking on the relentless quest of appeasing his Shiba Inu. He lives in Philadelphia with his husband. Find him online: erikjbrown.com, TikTok @erikjbrown and Instagram @erikjb.

Klappentext

Get ready for queer mayhem in this gritty psychological thriller filled with stolen identity, true crime and first love, from the bestselling author of All That's Left in the World. For fans of **One of Us Is Lying, ****The Reappearance of Rachel Price **and They Both Die at the End.

Desperate to escape a family who will never accept him, a queer runaway in police custody borrows the identity of a boy who vanished years ago: Nate Beaumont. But when Nate's family come to take him home, he's trapped in a web of lies.

Then he meets Miles - the cute, clever and true-crime obsessed boy next door - who knows more than it seems. Unexpectedly, Miles agrees to help, in exchange for uncovering the truth about what happened years ago to his childhood best friend. As their investigation turns dangerous, their feelings turn real.

Time is running out.
They don't know who to trust.
And someone is watching who wants to keep this case cold.

Will they find the missing boy . . . or will they find each other?

"Brimming with darkness and suspense, each page of Better the Devil ramps up on a slow, creeping dread until the explosive, incredibly tense climax. A smart, sinister book that also explores themes of self-acceptance and identity - I flew through it"
- Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills

"Twisty, thrilling, unputdownable - Better the Devil will grip you, break your heart, and make you constantly look over your shoulder."
- David Fenne, author of Overemotional