High and Dry

Framed for a stranger's near-fatal overdose at a party, blackmailed into finding a mysterious flash drive everyone in school seems anxious to suppress, and pressured by his shady best friend to throw an upcoming match, high school soccer player Charlie Dixon is juggling more than his share of drama. Add in a broken heart and the drinking he's been doing to soothe it, and he's near the breaking point. In this fast-paced, layered mystery, Charlie spends a frantic week trying to clear his name, win back the girl of his dreams, and escape a past friendship that may be responsible for all his current problems. This book captures the tone and style of the best crime fiction while also telling a high-stakes story of peer pressure gone tragically awry. Praise for High and Dry "A dark, well-constructed mystery with a strong voice." -- Kirkus Reviews " Skilton's latest covers a tense and complicated week during which Charlie must unravel relationships, desires, lies, and truths in order to clear his name, regain his sense of self, and set his world right again." -- Booklist "School drama, romance, and mystery make a heady mash-up and an involving quick pick." -- The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books "With a strong subtext about the dangers of test-driven curriculua, this novel will find an audience in most high schools." -- School Library Journal