The Exchange — Graham Joyce

A taut, otherworldly thriller set in contemporary England.

Caz and her best friend Lucy have a secret. Late at night, they break into strangers? homes?not to steal anything, just for the rush. Then Caz gets caught in the act by elderly Mrs. Tranter, and before she knows it, the old woman has snapped a silver bracelet around her wrist. Caz can?t remove it, no matter what she does; and then it becomes part of her, sinking into her skin like a tattoo. Worst and most unsettling of all, it?s given her an unpredictable kind of ESP. She can see into people?s inner lives, whether she wants to or not. The Exchange is gritty magical realism with a sense of humor?just right for fans of Holly Black and Sonya Hartnett.