Blood Relative

A suburban teenager is targeted by a traumatized survivor of a brutal dictatorship in this “fast-paced tale of obsession” (The New York Times).   Pretty and popular sixteen-year-old Mariah Ebinger enjoys a pleasant and peaceful life, though she sometimes wonders about herself. She experiences weird dreams, and has an inexplicable phobia about helicopters. Strangest of all is her ability to speak Spanish.    Rolando Carrera, a man from thousands of miles away, might be able to explain some of the mystery—but he has no intention of doing that. Years ago, his wife and daughter were murdered by the death squads in Argentina’s infamous “dirty war.” Now Carrera has crossed some terrible internal line. His grief and rage have blended into a toxic cocktail of obsession with one single burning aim: Kill Mariah Ebinger. . . .   “Hougan is a master.” —Library Journal   “Hougan’s sharp prose imparts urgency to her sensitively rendered account of all-too-plausible violence and its chilling consequences.” —Publishers Weekly