Not Bad People — Brandy Scott

A clever, compelling debut novel with a unique premise of what happens when three best friends engage in what seems to be a harmless act, but instead results in tragedy, leading the women to confront buried resentments, shattering secrets, dark lies, and the moral consequences that could alter their lives forever.

Three friends, thirty years of shared secrets, one impulsive gesture…and a terrible accident.

It's New Year's Eve, in a small town in the rich wine country outside Sydney. Thirty-something Aimee, Melinda, and Lou are best friends reveling in the end-of-year celebrations. And what better way to look ahead to the coming year than to let off Chinese lanterns filled with resolutions: for meaning, for freedom, for money? The fact that it's illegal to use these lanterns is far in the back of their minds. After the glowing paper bags float away and are lost to sight in the night sky, there's a bright flare in the distance. It could be a sign of luck -- or the start of a complete nightmare that will upend the women's friendships, families, and careers.

Aimee is convinced their little ceremony caused a major accident. The next day, the newspapers report a small plane crashed, and two victims -- one a young boy -- were pulled from the wreckage. The other women refuse to listen and Aimee's husband doesn't understand what she's trying to say. But she can't move on until she knows the truth. So she imbeds herself with the victim's family, the hospital, the investigation -- even the chief investigator -- in an effort to discover whether she and her friends are responsible for the accident.

Melinda is more concerned about her reputation than Aimee's misplaced guilt. The accident wasn't their fault, and Aimee's obsession is just going to cause trouble for all of them, especially Melinda who has a company about to go public and an adoption panel to win over. Melinda's going to keep this quiet -- no matter the cost.

Lou doesn't know -- or care -- if their lanterns were behind the tragedy. She already has an army of problems to deal with. Her fifteen-year-old daughter announced her pregnancy on New Year's Eve, and now the scan reveals that the baby will be severely disabled. So Lou doesn't have time for Aimee's imminent mental breakdown, or Miranda's power games…until an accident report lands on her desk with information that could buy her troubled family some financial breathing room. That's if she has the guts to use it.

They're not bad people. But desperate times call for desperate measures.