The Truth Lies Here

Stranger Things meets Men in Black in this funny and eerie young adult novel.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN BONE LAKE? THE TRUTH WILL SURPRISE YOU.

In small town Michigan, Penny Hardjoy, an aspiring journalist, teams up with the nerdy boy next door and the town’s star quarterback to find her conspiracy theorist father after he goes missing and several other people turn up dead in the woods.

The deeper she digs, the weirder things start to get. Townspeople repeat the same phrases—verbatim. Men in black suits stroll around Main Street. Chunks of Penny's memory go missing.

Pretty soon, her research leads her to the long-ago meteorite crash in Bone Lake’s woods, and she’s going to have to reconsider her definition of “real” if she wants answers. . . .

• Small Town Secrets: Penny’s search for her dad uncovers something rotten in Bone Lake, where townspeople repeat the same phrases verbatim and men in black suits are a common sight.
• An Unreliable Narrator: As Penny gets closer to the truth, chunks of her own memory begin to vanish. How can she solve the mystery when she can't even trust her own mind?
• An Unlikely Trio: To find her father, aspiring journalist Penny must team up with Dex, the nerdy boy-next-door believer, and Micah, the town's star quarterback with a complicated past.
• A Government Cover-Up: The long-forgotten meteorite crash seems to be at the center of it all, but the deeper Penny digs, the more it feels like someone powerful wants the truth to stay buried.

“[M]arvelous...a believable story for teens who love coming-of-age stories in the vein of Stranger Things or science fiction shows like The Twilight Zone or The X-Files. This one has great appeal for most teens who enjoy classic science fiction and a good mystery.” - School Library Journal

“Klingele’s spooky, sci-fi-tinged mystery reads like a YA X-Files in the best possible way.” - Booklist

“A surprisingly heartfelt coming-of-age story wrapped in a zany package.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A fun and entertaining read. Recommended.” - Teen Librarian Toolbox (SLJ blog)