City of Angels — Kristi Belcamino

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Nikki Black, 17, a self-imposed lone wolf since her mother died, fled suburban Chicago to escape her painful past.

But when her so-called boyfriend reveals why he really lured her to Southern California -- to star in child porn flicks -- she ends up on the streets of L.A. with only the clothes on her back and a twelve-year-old addict named Rain trailing in her shadows.

The girls seek refuge at a residential hotel above a punk rock bar in downtown L.A. a few months before the city erupts into chaos during the 1992 riots.

At The American Hotel, Nikki makes friends and for the first time in years feels as if she has a real family again.

All that changes when Rain disappears.

Everyone except Nikki, including the police, thinks Rain succumbed to the seductive allure of addiction and life on the streets.

Nikki finds herself fighting for her own life the closer she gets to unveiling a sinister cover-up by a powerful group that secretly controls the city of angels.

City of Angels is an edgy, gritty, mature Young Adult mystery about a teenager's struggle to not only belong -- but survive.