Carlotta River Is Dead by Lisa Battaglino

The Lovely Bones meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in this unforgettable mystery about a child with Down syndrome desperate to solve a murder.

In a crowded shopping center in 1966, a deaf child with Down syndrome crawls into a storage shelf, where he finds a dead beauty queen. His sister roughly removes him without seeing the body. V faces skepticism over his intelligence, dubious regard for his perceptions, and an inability to convey his thoughts. Nevertheless, he sets out to let everyone know a pretty corpse is stuck in Millard Mason’s Bargain Basement.
V’s family includes him in piecing together evidence to unfold the mystery before he becomes the next victim. His innocence, uninhibited demeanor, and uncanny intuition shape the backdrop of a remarkable tale.

A provoking whodunit forcing readers to smile while they explore a marginalized life in a soundless world. CARLOTTA RIVER IS DEAD is the stunning debut novel from a captivating new talent.