Shatter

When a mysterious explosion kills her sister, Salem Jefferson becomes convinced the death was no accident—it was a conspiracy. But no one else at her high school believes her, and all she has so far is one clue. She knows Carrie hired a gang member to protect orchard workers. Problem is, Salem doesn't know who.

To find out, Salem pursues the gang-bangers who rule her town, especially classmate Cordero. As her distrust of Cordero heats up, so do the number of suspects in Carrie's death. Teachers and school officers are orchard owners. They have every reason to stop farm workers from demanding higher wages. With Carrie's killers still out there, Salem's not sure who she can trust. Meanwhile, the people who live on orchards and the people who pick them are drawing lines in the sand.

The only way for Salem to learn the truth is to slip behind those enemy lines.

The only way to survive is to find a way back out.

Shatter is the grand prize winner of the LDStorymakers First Chapter Contest that author Jolene Perry calls "a stunning debut that’ll keep you turning pages ’til the end."

My thoughts: This book was a little bit confusing at first, since it jumps around a lot to catch the reader up to speed on what happened leading up to Carrie's death. After the first few chapters though, things do start to come together so that the reader has a clear picture of what makes Salem think that her sister's death wasn't an accident.
While I didn't really click with Salem, I did think this was an excellent story, since it deals with social issues like strikes, fair wages, and gangs. The mystery side of the story was quite suspenseful too! This is an excellent debut novel with a lot going for it. I look forward to reading more by Nikki!
I received this book from Cedar Fort in exchange for my honest review.