Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis, UK cover, with artwork by Shane Rebenschied. Cover shows a girl running along a pier over water, a burning forest and church spire in the distance, and a shadowy silhouette in a bowler hat in foreground.
Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis, US cover, featuring a circus tent at the bottom, title and author name in white against a red and yellow swirling design, with a backdrop of a dark blue curtain.

Firefly Press | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones | Book Depository | Foyles

YALSA 2015 Popular Paperbacks Finalist for Mysteries: Murder, Mayhem, and Other Adventures

When Sky falls from Blackfin Pier and drowns on her sixteenth birthday, the whole town goes into mourning – until she shows up three months later like nothing happened.

Unravelling the mystery of those missing months takes Sky to the burned-out circus in the woods, where whispers of murder and kidnapping begin to reveal the town’s secrets. But Sky’s not the only one digging up the past – the old mime from the circus knows what happened to her, and he has more than one reason for keeping quiet about it.

Reviews

“With convincing logic and a thrilling pace, Ellis spins out a vivid and eloquent tale in which the borders between past and present, experience and memory, and even life and death are porous. Each smart and well-rounded character, even the enigmatic adults, contributes cleverly to Ellis’ purposeful plot. Hand this well-wrought mystery to fans of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series and E. Lockhart’s rich writing.” —Booklist

“Fans of Lisa McMann and Gail Giles will welcome this debut thriller that immediately grabs readers with an intriguing premise.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The book is so fast paced and engaging that readers will have a hard time putting it down. Fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys trilogy will enjoy this great tale.” —VOYA

“This page-turner is sure to keep teens who love spooky sleuth novels up well into the night.” —School Library Journal

Published in the UK by Firefly Press, and in the US by Running Press Teen.

Trigger warnings: death and dead bodies; claustrophobic situations.

Check out the trailer for Blackfin Sky:

Firefly Press book trailer for Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis, 2014. Artwork by Shane Rebenschied.