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The Delinquent Hero
For fans of Wintergirls, The Delinquent Hero is a heart-wrenching mystery about a grieving teen’s search for answers about her anorexic sister’s sudden and tragic accident.
It’s the haunting question in these situations: why?
Everyone is saying Kat fell and hit her head, causing a catastrophic brain bleed. She’s severely malnourished and on life support, and in a few days, the doctors will remove the ventilator.
But when 18-year-old Molly visits her sister’s rental house, it looks more like a crime scene that someone cleaned up. Stories about what happened are inconsistent. Later at the hospital, when Molly whispers into her sister’s ear about the odd things she discovered, alarms start wailing on Kat’s cardiac monitor.
It’s like, even though she’s supposedly brain dead, some part of Kat still hears her. Like maybe something evil happened in that house.
Like maybe someone tried to murder her.
Don’t miss this raw and unforgettable story of a complicated sisterhood, eating disorders, and loss.
It’s the haunting question in these situations: why?
Everyone is saying Kat fell and hit her head, causing a catastrophic brain bleed. She’s severely malnourished and on life support, and in a few days, the doctors will remove the ventilator.
But when 18-year-old Molly visits her sister’s rental house, it looks more like a crime scene that someone cleaned up. Stories about what happened are inconsistent. Later at the hospital, when Molly whispers into her sister’s ear about the odd things she discovered, alarms start wailing on Kat’s cardiac monitor.
It’s like, even though she’s supposedly brain dead, some part of Kat still hears her. Like maybe something evil happened in that house.
Like maybe someone tried to murder her.
Don’t miss this raw and unforgettable story of a complicated sisterhood, eating disorders, and loss.
- GenresMystery
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 28, 2023
3 people are currently reading
904 people want to read
About the author
Khristina Chess
13 books129 followersKhristina Chess is an award-winning author of more than a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Her novel about eating disorders, Hollow Beauty, was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, dystopian, and adventure.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 18, 2023
Hooks you from the start!
This story had me hooked from the very beginning. I too enjoy cold case/crime solving shows and jigsaw puzzles, so I found the main character of Molly very relatable. She tries to figure out the circumstances that led to her sister being in the hospital. Was it truly an accident? Or did someone do this to her? And why is her sister’s friend lying? What’s up with creepy landlord? And of course, there’s an ex-boyfriend involved. Something doesn’t add up to Molly. I was hooked and going right along with her as she tried to put the pieces together. I won’t spoil what happens as far as that is concerned, but be prepared to have a tissue handy. It’s a heartbreaking book that had me in tears. It’s a story of two sisters and the bond they share. Two sisters that lost touch. Two sisters that may never speak again. This book took me on an emotional journey and was very well-written. 5 stars.
This story had me hooked from the very beginning. I too enjoy cold case/crime solving shows and jigsaw puzzles, so I found the main character of Molly very relatable. She tries to figure out the circumstances that led to her sister being in the hospital. Was it truly an accident? Or did someone do this to her? And why is her sister’s friend lying? What’s up with creepy landlord? And of course, there’s an ex-boyfriend involved. Something doesn’t add up to Molly. I was hooked and going right along with her as she tried to put the pieces together. I won’t spoil what happens as far as that is concerned, but be prepared to have a tissue handy. It’s a heartbreaking book that had me in tears. It’s a story of two sisters and the bond they share. Two sisters that lost touch. Two sisters that may never speak again. This book took me on an emotional journey and was very well-written. 5 stars.
December 27, 2023
I’m already a fan of Khristina Chess’s emotional YA books in which she tackles serious mental health issues, but this one is exceptionally powerful.
It’s the story of two sisters bound through deep connection as well as pain. I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to find out what had happened to the older sister Kat, as seen through the eyes of her adoring younger sister, Molly. Molly’s emotional rollercoaster is written beautifully and rings true. The author’s note reveals that while the book is a work of fiction, the experience that inspired it is all too real.
A fabulous read from start to finish! And an excellent choice for anyone who has a sister.
It’s the story of two sisters bound through deep connection as well as pain. I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to find out what had happened to the older sister Kat, as seen through the eyes of her adoring younger sister, Molly. Molly’s emotional rollercoaster is written beautifully and rings true. The author’s note reveals that while the book is a work of fiction, the experience that inspired it is all too real.
A fabulous read from start to finish! And an excellent choice for anyone who has a sister.
November 30, 2023
Molly's older sister, who is finally in a good place, has been found unconscious in her apartment. Now she's dying.
Trauma to her head suggests an accidental fall, possibly a stroke, but to Molly.. it just doesn't make sense. She was good. She was happy. Wasn't she?
Unable to let her suspicions go, Molly becomes determined to prove that what happened wasn't an accident at all.
Molly adores her sister, but their relationship is deeply unhealthy. Not their love. Not their loyalty. But their bond, built on a series of unhealthy choices, was not only irresponsible.. but dangerous.. Kat's inability to see or understand the damage her own poor choices and habits have had on Molly, who wants to be just like her older sister, and the lack of awareness both parents had of their children, was difficult for me to fully understand.
All of the characters, the slow pace, and Molly's struggle with not only her sister's heartbreaking circumstances but her own mental health as well, had me setting the book aside for lighter topics quite often—which made this short read seem much longer than it was.
Overall: It was a good, though heartbreaking, read—filled with hope, determination, love, denial, and confusion that comes when we're faced with the loss of a loved one.
Maybe not the most exciting book I've read this year, but it's definitely worth the read.
Enjoy!
And do be sure to check out my book blog @ ReadBetwixtWords.com for more reviews and recommendations.
Trauma to her head suggests an accidental fall, possibly a stroke, but to Molly.. it just doesn't make sense. She was good. She was happy. Wasn't she?
Unable to let her suspicions go, Molly becomes determined to prove that what happened wasn't an accident at all.
Molly adores her sister, but their relationship is deeply unhealthy. Not their love. Not their loyalty. But their bond, built on a series of unhealthy choices, was not only irresponsible.. but dangerous.. Kat's inability to see or understand the damage her own poor choices and habits have had on Molly, who wants to be just like her older sister, and the lack of awareness both parents had of their children, was difficult for me to fully understand.
All of the characters, the slow pace, and Molly's struggle with not only her sister's heartbreaking circumstances but her own mental health as well, had me setting the book aside for lighter topics quite often—which made this short read seem much longer than it was.
Overall: It was a good, though heartbreaking, read—filled with hope, determination, love, denial, and confusion that comes when we're faced with the loss of a loved one.
Maybe not the most exciting book I've read this year, but it's definitely worth the read.
Enjoy!
And do be sure to check out my book blog @ ReadBetwixtWords.com for more reviews and recommendations.
December 1, 2023
what a good book!
I literally could not put this book down once I started reading it! I won this book as part of a giveaway.
It drew me in right from the beginning and pulled right through as a mystery of what Molly finds at her sisters apartment after shes been admitted to the hospital post surgery. Following all the clues she finds along the way in hopes of figuring out exactly what led her sister to this point.
I literally could not put this book down once I started reading it! I won this book as part of a giveaway.
It drew me in right from the beginning and pulled right through as a mystery of what Molly finds at her sisters apartment after shes been admitted to the hospital post surgery. Following all the clues she finds along the way in hopes of figuring out exactly what led her sister to this point.
February 27, 2024
Such a heart wrenching story but a story that should be told so people are aware of this disorder. I don't know if I have cried so much while reading a book. I just felt so bad for everyone involved and wondered if the story could have had a better outcome with just a few things done differently. This one may stick with for a while.
January 16, 2024
Different, interesting. Strong
November 7, 2023
I received a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review. This was simply amazing from the start and did not stop the entire time. This pulled me in and never let go. Such a great read!
January 6, 2024
Khristina Chess never disappoints and DELINQUENT HERO is definitely another example of why. And the art work on the cover? Fantastic!
Do the bonds of Sisterhood ever truly break? What if one of them becomes unreachable or out of touch? Are the bonds only in the bloodstream or do they transcend time and space.
Molly and her older sister, Kat have been best friends all her life. Molly is a senior in high school, and soon to be preparing for finals and the prom. And Kat, six years older has always been a free spirit, with an eating disorder, and a bad attitude. When Molly and her parents are notified that Kat was found unresponsive by a friend, they fly to be by her side. The information is sketchy at first. Did Kat have a stroke, did someone hurt her, or was she just the victim of an accident? Molly, a huge puzzle lover tries to put the pieces in place to form the whole picture of what happened to Kat. There seemed to be so many people in and out of Kat’s home; with a landlord, who has rigged the place with cameras, a cousin who has helped Kat with her computer, a new boyfriend no one is quite sure about and a work mate, who was not honest in his information after he found her unresponsive. Seems that everyone has secrets that they’re hiding, even Kat.
I have been fortunate enough to read quite a few of Khristina Chess’s recent novels. Every one has touched me deeply and left me in awe of her ability to speak to problems facing young adults today. She writes from the heart, and it is evident that she has her pulse on the angst of teenage life. Her depiction here of the sisterly bond, even through an eating disorder is unparalleled to other YA novels I have read on the subject. As with her previous stories, I believe that parents of tweens should be making Ms. Chess’s books available to their children, especially their daughters. I look forward to seeing where Ms. Chess takes me next.
Do the bonds of Sisterhood ever truly break? What if one of them becomes unreachable or out of touch? Are the bonds only in the bloodstream or do they transcend time and space.
Molly and her older sister, Kat have been best friends all her life. Molly is a senior in high school, and soon to be preparing for finals and the prom. And Kat, six years older has always been a free spirit, with an eating disorder, and a bad attitude. When Molly and her parents are notified that Kat was found unresponsive by a friend, they fly to be by her side. The information is sketchy at first. Did Kat have a stroke, did someone hurt her, or was she just the victim of an accident? Molly, a huge puzzle lover tries to put the pieces in place to form the whole picture of what happened to Kat. There seemed to be so many people in and out of Kat’s home; with a landlord, who has rigged the place with cameras, a cousin who has helped Kat with her computer, a new boyfriend no one is quite sure about and a work mate, who was not honest in his information after he found her unresponsive. Seems that everyone has secrets that they’re hiding, even Kat.
I have been fortunate enough to read quite a few of Khristina Chess’s recent novels. Every one has touched me deeply and left me in awe of her ability to speak to problems facing young adults today. She writes from the heart, and it is evident that she has her pulse on the angst of teenage life. Her depiction here of the sisterly bond, even through an eating disorder is unparalleled to other YA novels I have read on the subject. As with her previous stories, I believe that parents of tweens should be making Ms. Chess’s books available to their children, especially their daughters. I look forward to seeing where Ms. Chess takes me next.
November 7, 2023
Molly is going to find out what happens with her sister and nothing or no one is going to get in her way. This is a book that you should not start reading unless you are prepared to not put it down once you start. Action packed through and through for people who enjoy crime and mystery books and shows.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. My review is my own honest opinion.
January 31, 2026
2.75 Stars ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews