We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Duchess is thirteen and lives with her mother, Star, and little brother, Robin, in a small California town. Star is barely getting through the day, still traumatized by the death years ago of her younger sister, Sissy, caused by her high school boyfriend, Vincent. Her unstable home life has led Duchess to proclaim she's an outlaw and to present a hard exterior to anyone she meets or knows, even as she becomes parent and protector to Robin. Vincent, meanwhile, is in prison for the crime, while his best friend, Walk, the chief of police, watches over Duchess and Robin. We Begin at the End tells the story of Duchess and Walk and those around them as crimes from both the past and present resonate.