Megan Abbott

The End of Everything In a placid 1980s suburb in the Midwest, thirteen-year old Lizzie Hood and her next door neighbor Evie Verver are inseparable, best friends who swap bathing suits and field-hockey sticks and between whom, presumably, there are no secrets. Together they live in the shadow of Evie's ... (more)glamorous older sister Dusty, who provides them a window on the exotic, intoxicating possibilities on their own teenage horizons. To Lizzie, the Verver household, presided over by Evie's big-hearted father, is the world’s most perfect place. And then, one afternoon, Evie disappears. The only clue: a maroon sedan Lizzie spotted driving past the two girls earlier in the day. As a rabid, giddy panic spreads through the balmy suburban community, everyone turns to Lizzie for answers. Was Evie unhappy, troubled, upset? Had she mentioned being followed? Would she have gotten into the car of a stranger? Would Evie have gotten into a car with a man? Compelled by curiosity and a desire to rescue the enchanted Verver household from ruin, Lizzie takes up her own furtive pursuit of the truth. Her days spent with a shell-shocked Mr. Verver, she devotes her nights to prowling through backyards, peering through windows, pushing herself to the dark center of Evie’s world. Haunted by dreams of her lost friend and titillated by her own new power as the center of the disappearance, Lizzie uncovers secret after secret and begins to wonders if she knew anything about her best friend at all.

In The Flesh welcomes a range of authors from the sexy mysteries of Hard Case Crime authors Megan Abbott (Queenpin) and Charles Ardai (Songs of Innocence) to erotic memoirist Sebastian Horsley (Dandy in the Underworld) all the way from the UK, as well as Chelsea Summers (Pretty Dumb Things blogger, contributor, ... (more)Yes, Sir) Kevin Keck (Oedipus Wrecked, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Kevin) and Cheri Magid (contributor to Hide and Seek). Hosted and curated by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Yes, Sir, Yes, Ma’am, Best Sex Writing 2008). Free candy and cupcakes will be served.