Synopses & Reviews
Justine Larbalestier is an Australian-American writer who was born and raised in Sydney. Her first book, Battle of the Sexes, resulted from her PhD thesis and was shortlisted for the Peter McNamara Convenors' Award, the William J. Atheling Jr. Award and the Hugo Award for Best Related Book. She has since written seven young adult novels, including the Magic or Madness trilogy, How to Ditch Your Fairy, Team Human, and Liar, and edited the anthology Zombies vs. Unicorns. She is married to fellow YA author Scott Westerfeld and divides her time between Sydney and New York City.
Synopsis
"Vivid and bloody and bold and fast--I feel like Razorhurst is in my bones now."
--#1
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert
The notoriously bloody history of a mob-run Sydney, Australia neighborhood is fertile ground for this historical thriller with a paranormal twist: two girls' ability to see the many ghosts haunting Razorhurst.
Sydney's deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace--one maintained by "razor men." Kelpie, orphaned and homeless, is blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see Razorhurst's many ghosts. They tell secrets that the living can't know about the cracks already forming in the mobs' truce.
Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell, Gloriana's prize moll, over the body of the latest of Dymphna's beaus to meet an untimely end--a string that's earned her the nickname the "Angel of Death." Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and she knows that Gloriana's hold is crumbling one henchman at a time. As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens the two girls at every turn, Dymphna is determined to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.
About the Author
In the vein of The Diviners and The Petal and the White, Razorhurst reimagines the notorious history of a mob-controlled Sydney—with a paranormal twist.Sydney’s deadly Razorhurst neighborhood, 1932. Gloriana Nelson and Mr. Davidson, two ruthless mob bosses, have reached a fragile peace—one maintained by “razor men.” Kelpie, orphaned and living on the street, is blessed and cursed with the ability to see Razorhurst’s many ghosts, and she sees the cracks already forming in their truce. Then Kelpie meets Dymphna Campbell.
Dymphna is a legendary beauty and prized moll of Gloriana Nelson. She’s earned the nickname “Angel of Death” for the trail of beaus who have died trying to protect her from Mr. Davidson’s assassins. Unbeknownst to Kelpie, Dymphna can see ghosts, too, and as Gloriana’s hold crumbles one burly henchman at a time, the girls will need one another more than ever.
As loyalties shift and betrayal threatens at every turn, Dymphna is determined to not only survive, but to rise to the top with Kelpie at her side.