Contemporary Coming-of-Age Romantic Mystery, Young Adult
Published: June 2021
Publisher: Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
Leisha knows something’s wrong. Her beloved vocal coach at boarding school would never have resigned and disappeared like this in the midst of preparing her prize students for a major vocal competition. Leisha’s determined to find her, make sure she’s okay.
Cody, a sensitive cellist, insists on helping her. Sparks fly, clues multiply, and romance blossoms, despite the disapproval of their families.
Leisha’s desire to be with Cody and pursue music rather than medicine puts her on a direct collision course with her African-American grandfather, the only parent she’s ever had. But an even more immediate threat looms– because, as Leisha draws closer to the truth about her teacher’s disappearance, she puts her own life in grave danger.
Praise for Leisha’s Song
“Suspense, tender romance, and a thoughtful exploration of racism make this page-turning coming-of-age novel a winner.” – Lee Tobin McClain, USA Today Best selling Author of Home to the Harbor
Excerpt
“Rosita, I need to borrow your friend. Okay with you?”
“Si,” she said, and a shy smile crept on to her face. “You want me to save your food, Leisha?”
I shook my head and picked up my tray to dump it. My stomach felt like a bunch of heavy stones were clanking around in there.
“Meet you out by the stairs,” Cody said.
“What’s this about?” I eyed him warily, not at all sure I was up to talking with Cody when I felt this vulnerable, and… and well, when it was getting harder and harder to keep my distance.
“You,” he said in a low voice.
I should have flat refused to follow him up the stairs to the second floor. No one else would be hanging up there on a Saturday, and it definitely wasn’t a good idea to let myself be alone with Cody. But my willpower had mysteriously disappeared. Up the stairs and down the hall I went.
Cody lounged on a window seat and pulled me down to sit next to him. Outside, the sky was smudged with gray, and the tree branches drooped under the weight of the snow. I sighed. I was drooping too.
Cody’s hand was warm, strong, callused. No! Not going there. I pulled my hand away from his and carefully inched away. “You’ve got five minutes,” I said, determined not to let him see that his touch made every hair on the back of my neck prickle. Better to make him believe I was the original ice queen.
“Okay, tough girl, I know you were crying in there. Let me in. I care about you, damn-it!”
He leaned toward me and touched my cheek, and I closed my eyes for a moment. Then I grabbed his hand in my own, and I couldn’t help it. I held on tight. “It’s… it’s Ms. Wells.” I spilled out everything I knew, which was not much. “I need to find her. This is going to sound crazy, but I think she’s in trouble.” I shivered and made myself let go of his hand.
He gazed at me somberly. “She never would have left without talking to you. I used to like watching her watch you. It was almost like you were the daughter she never had.”
Tears burned behind my eyelids. That’s how I’d felt about her—like she was filling up a pocket in my heart that had only held longing for the mama I’d never known.
Cody pulled me in close.
My whole body tensed. I could not let this happen.
“It’s okay,” he said. “This is strictly a brotherly hug.”
Yeah, right. But being in his arms felt too good to pull away. He smelled like fresh laundry mixed in with the woodsy scent of the rosin he used on his cello strings.
“We’re going to figure out what happened,” he murmured in my ear.
I snapped my head back to stare at him. “What do you mean ‘we’?”
He grinned. “Every great detective needs a sidekick. I’ve just appointed myself yours.”
About the Author
Lynn Slaughter is addicted to chocolate, the arts, and her husband’s cooking. She also admits she’s always loved to learn. A graduate of Smith College, she earned master’s degrees in sociology and dance. Following a long career as a professional dancer and educator, she returned to school for her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She’s the author of three other young adult novels: IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, WHILE I DANCED, and DEADLY SETUP (forthcoming, Fire and Ice, 2022). She lives in Louisville, Kentucky where she’s at work on her next novel and serves as President of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, her local chapter of Sisters in Crime.
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