In the unsettling YA psychological thriller Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown (All That's Left in the World) a gay teen escaping the threat of conversion therapy assumes the identity of a missing boy, only to discover that the boy's family might be responsible for his disappearance.
Eight months ago, the 16-year-old narrator ran away from his staunchly Christian parents when they signed him up for conversion therapy. Now, the police have apprehended him for stealing food and, desperate to hide his identity, the narrator gives his name as Nate Beaumont, a boy who went missing almost a decade prior. The Beaumonts readily welcome "Nate" home. Although the narrator wars with guilt, he is deeply fulfilled by how Nate's family cares for him. He also befriends Miles, Nate's distractingly cute childhood friend, who tells him to drop the act. Miles runs a "highly unpopular true crime podcast" about Nate's disappearance and promises to keep the narrator's secret if "Nate" gets intel on the Beaumonts; Miles thinks one of them murdered Nate. Suddenly, "Nate" must investigate a temperamental dad, a super protective mom, and a sweet-and-sour older brother, all while someone frames him for incriminating acts--broken glass in food, a gas leak--that earn him the scrutiny of a potentially deadly family.
This addictively engrossing mystery blends unrelenting suspense with a genuinely heartfelt found family story. The "constant state of fear" that "Nate" lives in is tempered by adorable banter with Miles and quintessential family moments. That gentleness--from a family who may have killed one of their own--adds a deliriously disorienting atmosphere to this brilliant thriller. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer