Trees and Forest -
A Mystery by David YB Kaufmann

Leslee Vitolsik thinks she’s just struggling against life: dealing with manipulative divorced parents, making grades that’ll get her into med school, scrounging tips at the Torre Reppeto to pay her bills, wondering if she’ll ever have a social life. Tamryn Aronstein just wants to enjoy her life: get decent grades, keep her parents happy, have fun in her sorority. Kyle Birzi just wants to make money, lots of it: as a stockbroker by day; at an off-the-books auto shop after hours, where he’s known as “Skizzer”; and as a dealer whenever he can.

But when Skizzer does a hit-and-run on one of Tamryn’s sorority sisters, their lives begin to intertwine: Leslee becomes the perfect cover for Skizzer’s deals, Leslee and Tamryn, a daily visitor to the Torre Reppeto, begin an awkward friendship; and once Skizzer suspects Tamryn knows his secret, he decides on a repeat performance to end the threat.

Yet for Leslee, a 300 year old act of kindness may make all the difference in the world.

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“Trees & Forest reminds me of a Stuart Kaminsky book. The novel interweaves the lives of an unlikely combination of people in a vivid portrayal of post-Katrina New Orleans, bringing them together for a murderous denouement.”
Paul Levitz, former President and Publisher of DC Comics