Zombie-Free Young Adult Novel Mixes Suspense with Corporate Fraud

    FARMINGTON, MI, December 07, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Award-winning novelist Nan Willard Cappo has published Unaccounted For, a coming-of-age thriller that does not contain--get ready for this--a single zombie, werewolf, or dystopia. Kirkus Reviews calls the hero, Milo Shoemaker, "...a teen with character and morals...." and says "...the plot moves along at a brisk pace with plenty of action, romance, and intrigue. Milo's unyielding determination to discover the truth and expose corporate fraud will likely make Cappo's page-turner a hit..."

Cappo's first novel, Cheating Lessons, (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum 2002) earned starred critical reviews and an Edgar Nomination for Best YA Mystery. Cappo, a 25-year Farmington resident, has an MBA and once sold computers for IBM. "You can't live in Michigan without being touched by the auto industry," she says. "I wanted a teenager to wrestle with real-world dangers on the job: fraud, betrayal, bent ambition. I'm pro-business--I wish more teens knew how fascinating it is!--but everyone faces temptation. How we handle it says who we are."

At a recent conference of MAME (Michigan Association of Media in Education), school librarians told Cappo they would welcome her book as a "crossover" title (published for adults but with teen appeal), where the hero fights for higher stakes than good grades or a prom date. In Unaccounted For, 18-year-old Milo must decide the fate of every worker at flourishing fire engine-maker Wolverine Motors, the major employer in their Lenawee County town.

"Milo makes choices," Cappo told one conference group. "Save jobs, or punish a killer? Sleep with the boss's daughter, or reject a vulnerable girl? Fight or die? If the choices aren't tough, readers won't care."

One librarian asked how much accounting is really in Unaccounted For. "Just enough to be sexy," Cappo said. "Finance types hardly ever get glamour, yet they track money, jobs, and success every day. I make that clear but not dull."

Unaccounted For (ISBN 9780983822202, Tadmar Press, ages 15+) is available in paperback or eBook at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. To watch the 60-second Book Trailer or download the Discussion Guide, visit www.nancappo.com

Tadmar Press is a small independent publisher specializing in realistic young adult fiction. Unaccounted For is its first title.

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