Dunn Kelly hardly ever has a problem covering for his alcoholic father. As the only Special Populations detective on the police force, his dad's responsibilities usually consist of freeing zombies tangled in turnstiles, checking rabies tags on werewolves, and sweeping up vampires who oversleep when moon bathing. But when teen pop star Delilah Idaho sees a wrinkle on her forehead, Dunn's world is turned upside-down.
A television show is being filmed in his town- You Suck, a reality show in which vampires, from sparkly to old school, compete for the privilege of biting Delilah, keeping her young and beautiful forever. But a murderer is loose on the set and it's up to Dunn to save his father's job and solve the mystery. Oh, and his teacher is hitting on him, the football coach hates his guts, and he just might lose his spot on the swim team. Dunn's life, like the television show, sucks.
Genre: JUVENILE FICTION / GeneralA top-100 bestseller in Teen Detectives.
Chapter 1- A Wrinkle and Time
It was definitely a wrinkle. No matter how many different ways Delilah twisted and contorted, the line remained-- an unsightly gully eroded across her otherwise perfect forehead. She used the tips of her fingers to stretch the skin, careful not to let anything touch her freshly lacquered nails, and released it, only to watch the line reform.
“It looks like the Grand Canyon.” Her voice was as dark as her mood, lacking the bubbly effervescence she’d have to exude upon taking the stage twenty minutes from now. With a curse that was very unlike her television persona, she hefted her diet cola, always a glass bottle, never plastic and never, ever a can, and hurled it at the mirror. The satisfying shattering sound washed over her in a soothing wave, calming her nerves as breaking things always seemed to do.
The door burst open and her daddy hurried through, latte foam clinging to his soul patch. Concern filled his brown eyes as he hurried to her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“What's wrong, Darlin? Your makeup artist came running out of here like his hair was on fire. Did they forget to take the brown M&M's out of the bowl again?” Since retiring from action-themed B movies, Buddy Jay Johnson served as his daughter's manager, assuring that things conformed to her very exacting expectations. He was always nearby, ready to put out the fire.
“No.” Delilah jerked away from her father's coffee breath and returned to her dressing table. She placed her hands on its cool, hard surface, careful not to cut herself on the glimmering shards of glass, and leaned in close, taking one more look at the first blemish ever to mar her flawless skin. The cracks that cobwebbed the last surviving section of mirror taunted her, a thousand echoes of the line on her face. “I'm old, Daddy.”
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Italian
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Samanta Mancini
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