Last Kiss

Billy O’Reilly, a farm boy in rural Iowa, has been secretly dating Lisa Wells, the popular, wealthy daughter of the president of the local college. It’s a complicated relationship: people of HER class don’t associate with people of HIS class. Her controlling father does not approve of the relationship, her “real” boyfriend is growing suspicious, and her troubled stepbrother is adding to the drama by stirring up trouble. Billy’s life is thrown into turmoil when Lisa breaks up with him and then is found murdered the next morning. A series of circumstantial evidence points directly to Billy who, along with his best friend, Windy, launches his own investigation to clear his name and find out what really happened to the girl he loved.

This gritty, fast-paced teen mystery will appeal to both reluctant and dedicated readers.

Jon Ripslinger (Davenport, Iowa) is a writer and a former high school English teacher. He was a participant in the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop and is the author of several published short stories and two other novels for young adults.