The Rainbow Connection
Laurie Hanan
language
(Hoaka Moon Publishing, Dec. 4, 2016)
This is the story of one teenage girlās disappearance, and anotherās obsession. Fans of Hanan's Louise Golden mysteries watched Emmeline grow from an effervescent ten-year-old in Almost Paradise, into a headstrong adolescent in Stairway to Heaven. Now, at seventeen, Emmy is faced with a mystery only she can solve. In her senior year, Emmy transfers from an exclusive private school to a public charter school for ādropouts and misfits.ā Just before graduation, her only friend in the new school disappears. Brett has run away before. The cops, and even Brettās mom, are sure sheās done it again. Emmy doesnāt buy it. She knows how hard Brett has worked to graduateāand Brett would never ditch her super-hot boyfriend. Something terrible has happened to Brett, and Emmy must find out what. Her search for Brett leads Emmy to a secretive pseudo-religious group with a charismatic leader and hundreds of devoted followers. She discovers political corruption, abuses of the Hawaiian Home Lands, and a brutal crime tidily buried beneath lies. Emmy risks danger and disillusionment in her search for Brett, while struggling with the daunting task of becoming an adult and making decisions demanded of her in this coming-of-age journey.*May not be suitable for younger teens due to references to drugs, rape, and nudity.