Chris Kassel

Dead Teen Songs Chris Kassel

A forty-year-old triple homicide and the recent disappearance of a high school sophomore interweave throughout a short, dark novel that picks the scabs of several generations and peels away the layers of small-town drama. At the core of the plot are two unlikely allies: An angry girl from a dysfunctional family and a homeless autistic boy. The girl (Leilani) wants desperately to stop the pain of her emotions while the autistic boy (nicknamed Zero) wants nothing more than to experience genuine human emotions. Over the four days that span 'Dead Teen Songs', Leilani and Zero come to remarkable conclusions about themselves as the crimes-past and present-are solved in a remarkable twist.