A Northern Light

Mattie Gokey, 16, has lofty goals, but there's not much chance of them materializing. She accepts a job at the Glenmore because she needs the money badly, and Grace Brown, one of the hotel guests, gives her the responsibility of burning a hidden bundle of letters. But Mattie learns that the letters could hold the dark secret of a murder when Grace's drowned corpse is recovered from the lake.

Set in 1906 against the background of the murder that served as the impetus for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly's remarkable first book deftly combines history, romance, and a murder mystery to create a compelling, authentic, and entirely unique read.

features an author interview and a reader's guide.