The Weight Of Blood by Laura McHugh

It's the summer before Lucy's senior year and she is at loose ends.  Lucy is now old enough to start to question the things that she's always taken for granted.  Things like why there always seems to be tension between her father, Carl, and her uncle, Crete.  Things like how to attract a boy and what to do if one is attracted.  Things like what happened to the girl down the road who disappeared only to turn up murdered months later.  Things like the biggest mystery of all, what happened to her mother, Lila, who disappeared when Lucy was just a baby.

Along with questions, Lucy is given more freedom.  Her father is often out of town working construction and now Lucy is old enough to stay in the house by herself.  She is allowed to take a summer job working at her uncle's store.  As Lucy gets around more, she becomes more aware of the underlying mysteries that have shaped her life and becomes determined to figure out what has occurred.

But secrets are secrets for a reason.  As Lucy starts to question and dig into the past, she starts to see that everyone in her small Ozark town seems to have secrets.  Some are dark secrets, while other people's secrets are just hiding someone else's deeds.  How can Lucy maneuver between those with evil and good in their hearts to uncover the truths she needs to know?

Laura McHugh has written an engaging, atmospheric mystery that draws the reader in immediately.  The story is told with the device of each chapter being told by one of the characters in the story, most often either Lucy or her mother, Lila.  This allows the story to slowly unfold, bringing new pieces to the forefront in Lucy's battle to fight her way through the opaqueness that has surrounded her mother's life.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.