Nothing ever happens in a sleepy town like Middlebrook… until the day its residents are shaken to their core. One hot Saturday afternoon, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak into a barn… and only eight come out unharmed. The press immediately starts asking questions: What type of parent lets their child play unsupervised in a house with guns? What kind of child pulls the trigger on their friend? And, most importantly, of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one pulled the trigger, and why are the others staying silent? Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this thought-provoking novel asks how much our children are capable of and how far we will go to protect them.