Heiress of Nowhere

Two starred reviews!

An orphan races to uncover a killer--who may have come from the sea--when she and her beloved orcas fall under suspicion in this "atmospheric...beguiling" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) historical gothic mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee.

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college--and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer's severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn't believe in myths. She knows that a human--a human murderer--killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate's vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer--before she becomes the next victim.

Author: Stacey Lee
Publisher: Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster Books f
Published: 03/17/2026
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9781665978965
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2026
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2026
School Library Journal 02/01/2026 pg. 56
Booklist 02/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 12/08/2025

About the Author
Stacey Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of historical young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese's Book Pick; Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews; and Outrun the Moon, winner of the Asian Pacific Award for Literature. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).