A murdered girl watches from her grave as the wrong man takes the blame.
Who drives the story
Seventeen, long brown hair, murdered in the woods and narrating from beneath the ground. She wants justice — but first she has to remember who killed her, watching helplessly as the wrong man nearly pays for it.
The investigator who follows the paper trail — a diary, a receipt, security footage — from a convenient suspect to the truth. She's the one who finally hears what Lacey can't say.
The married English teacher in his thirties who tutored Lacey after school and groomed her as a secret boyfriend she called 'M.' Calm under questioning, silent in handcuffs, undone by a necklace in his desk drawer.
Lacey's best friend, who drove her to the party in a red Honda and told police Lacey left with Ryan. She's also the one who reveals 'M's' identity.
The boy from school who gave Lacey a ride and became the obvious suspect. He didn't kill her — but he dragged her out of that truck, and his lie about where he dropped her off nearly costs him everything.
Grieving, insistent that her daughter was a good girl who never would have run away. She hands Ruiz the diary that cracks the case and weeps at the grave as the truth comes out.
How they are connected
She's the one who finally hears what Lacey can't say.
The married English teacher in his thirties who tutored Lacey after school and groomed her as a secret boyfriend she called 'M.
Lacey's best friend, who drove her to the party in a red Honda and told police Lacey left with Ryan.
Lacey's best friend, who drove her to the party in a red Honda and told police Lacey left with Ryan.
Lacey's best friend, who drove her to the party in a red Honda and told police Lacey left with Ryan.
The boy from school who gave Lacey a ride and became the obvious suspect.
Lacey's motherDetective Angela Ruiz
She hands Ruiz the diary that cracks the case and weeps at the grave as the truth comes out.
Go deeper
The unreliability of the obvious suspect · Secrets as danger · Grooming disguised as kindness · The voicelessness of victims
Themes explainedThe full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.
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