Gina Augustini Best
Official Website of Author
YA Mystery/Thriller with complex family dynamics
Best's debut offers a powerful exploration of family dynamics.... After Mireya's mother...is kidnapped at gunpoint from an ATM, the ensuing investigation exposes secrets from her past. Fast-paced and brimming with suspense, More Than Ivory will hook readers from the start. ...Mireya is determined to find her mother and bring her home alive, no matter the cost. Her tenacity and strength in the face of tragedy make her an easy protagonist to root for, but her fundamental humanness-the way she battles grief and guilt-renders her deeply relatable. —BookLife, by Publishers Weekly
"More Than Ivory is equal parts heart-wrenching and hopeful—a testament to resilience and the power of connection. Twisty and propulsive, this is a story that lingers long after the last page." —Heather Harper Ellett, award-winning author of Ain't Nobody Nobody
Seventeen-year-old Mireya Torres’s world is rocked after her mom’s violent abduction at an ATM one morning before school. With an urgent search underway, she finds herself entangled in secrets from her mother’s disturbing past—a shockingly dark world far removed from their ordinary lives—and faces the possibility that she never really knew the woman who raised her. A fast-paced, mystery-thriller for upper YA readers, More Than Ivory explores the complexities of family bonds, and the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love.
For Fans of Sadie and Monday's Not Coming
Fast-paced and suspenseful with lots of heart
About Gina
Gina Augustini Best is a former award-winning journalist.​ Her writing often explores themes of unconditional love and complicated familial bonds. She's also interested in looking at similarities between complex human and animal social structures.
Despite stories that tackle realistic, and sometimes gritty issues, her works focus on hopeful and empowering messages. Gina writes to illuminate an increasingly jaded world, and to remind us of the power of love, even in the darkest moments.
She lives in the Dallas area with her husband, daughter, two attention-seeking dogs, and one hands-off cat. She's known to make runs to the Gulf of Mexico any chance she gets.
Follow Gina on her author sites!
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