And though her grief bubbles just under the surface, there’s little time to indulge it.

Consequently, they are forced to live on the run, stealing for survival and fighting for their lives. Their deaths were the result of a hit put out by the Aryan Steel, a prison gang that’s got a gripe with Nate further, both Polly and her father have a bounty on their heads. Her mother and stepfather have been killed-but it’s more complicated than that. In snippets of overheard conversation, Polly begins to piece together the ugly truth about her father’s reemergence. She’s never known why she’d been that way, so quiet on the outside but inside so screaming loud, but now she knew. That was the way Polly felt, that outside she was quiet and calm but inside her acid winds roared. Polly read about this pearl planet with a storm inside it and the thought burped full-formed out of Polly’s brain: I’m from Venus. The one thing they have in common, at least to the casual observer, is their “gunfighter eyes.” But beneath Polly’s reserved exterior is a depth of darkness-which is something she’s come to recognize in herself, even if she can’t yet summon it forth: Nate is bold and brusque to Polly’s meek and mild. Right now, no time for fuss.”įather and daughter are a seeming study in contrasts, both in appearance and temperament. Despite her reservations, she knows better than to ignore his command: “Listen close … You’re coming with me. Nate’s unannounced arrival is immediate cause for concern, as is the expectation that she’ll leave with him. Her solace comes in the company of a stuffed teddy bear that she carries in her backpack. Meanwhile, she’s been rendered an outcast, bullied (“Polly Pudding-Ass”), and ignored in equal measure. Last Polly knew, he was still in prison-his home for half of her young life-for armed robbery. When 11-year-old Polly McClusky walks out the front doors of Fontana Middle School in southern California, the last person she expects to see is her father, Nate. The book has been optioned for film, with Harper attached to write the screenplay. Harper published a short story collection, Love and Other Wounds, before the release of his full-length debut, She Rides Shotgun-a 2018 Edgar Award nominee for Best First Novel. He’s been both a film critic and journalist and has written for television (“teevee”) he now makes his home in Los Angeles. Jordan Harper is a Missouri native who’s been fascinated with crime since childhood, likely due to a familial involvement in law enforcement. She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper is a propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows-her father.