A death sentence. A family torn apart. One girl's hunt for the truth. Seventeen-year-old Riley Beckett is no stranger to prison. Her father is a convicted serial killer on death row who has always maintained that he was falsely accused. Riley has never missed a single visit with her father. She wholeheartedly believes that he is innocent.  Then, a month before the execution date, Riley's world is rocked when, in an attempt to help her move on, her father secretly confesses to her that he actually did carry out the murders. He takes it back almost immediately, but she cannot forget what he's told her. Determined to uncover the truth for her own sake, she discovers something that will forever change everything she's believed about the family she loves.  Gr 8 Up—When Riley was six, her father was sentenced to death for the murders of three women. Eleven years of appeals later, Riley has never doubted he was wrongly convicted—until he admits his guilt to her during a prison visit. Is he telling a white lie to help her move forward, or is he finally coming clean? With weeks left until his execution, Riley embarks on a mission to finally confront the truth of these murders and hopefully exonerate her father. Assisted by Jordan, a boy whose family is also connected to the atrocities, she unearths family secrets and as many hints to her dad's guilt as to his innocence. Amid the high-stakes plot twists, the author keeps Riley and Jordan grounded in the dark reality of their lives, showing Riley's despair and fear as well as her admirable tenacity. Johansson has established herself as a go-to writer of emotionally resonant teen thrillers. VERDICT This timely story, evocative of the Serial podcast and Netflix's Making a Murderer, will also appeal to reluctant readers and fans of April Henry and Barry Lyga.—Ann Foster, Saskatoon Public Library, Canada “Johansson has established himself as a go-to writer of emotionally resonant teen thrillers...This timely story, evocative of the Serial podcast and Neflix's Making a Murderer, will also appeal to reluctant readers and fans of April Henry and Barry Lyga.” ― School Library Journal J.R. JOHANSSON is the author of the Night Walkers Series(INSOMNIA, PARANOIA and MANIA) as well as standalone thriller, CUT ME FREE. Her books have been published in a dozen languages and more than twenty countries worldwide. She has a B.S. degree in public relations and a background in marketing. She credits her abnormal psychology minor with inspiring many of her characters. She lives in Utah with two sons, a wonderful husband, three cats, and a hot tub named Valentino. Find out more about her on her website: jrjohansson.com The Row By J. R. Johansson Farrar, Straus and Giroux Copyright © 2016 J. R. Johansson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-374-30025-8 CHAPTER 1 I STEP INTO THE REGISTRATION BUILDING and marvel at how it smells the same every time. The strong aroma of bleach cleanser that somehow never manages to get rid of the lingering undertone of mildew and rot is a hard one to forget. For over ten years, I've spent every Friday afternoon from three to five p.m. at the Polunsky Unit except for the two weeks in December it took to get my "hardship privileges" approved by the warden. It still seems crazy to me that I had to get the approval from Warden Zonnberg — the director of death row himself — just to visit my own daddy without Mama present. It was a whole lot of hassle to go through when you consider that I was only ten months shy of being legal at the time. But like Mama says: Seventeen is still seventeen no matter what color you paint it. So once Mama's work made it harder for her to attend visits with me, the warden literally declared me a case of hardship in order to approve my visits. I have paperwork and everything. Nothing like putting a label on a girl to make her feel good about herself. And the stupid teens on reality TV shows think they have daddy issues. Mama sent me with a letter for Daddy — as she always does. I wonder what it says but don't look. It's enough that the guards thoroughly examine every piece of communication our family shares. Me snooping through their messages too would be as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party. Almost instinctively, I walk toward the desk and begin prepping to pass through the security checkpoint. By the time I step up and sign my name, my shoes and belt are off and my pockets are emptied. As always, I left my purse in the car and only brought my ziplock bag with a paper chess set, my ID, change for the vending machines, my car keys, and Mama's letter — nothing that will raise any trouble. I may not be an honor student, but I am nothing if not a model death row visitor. Mama should seriously find a bumper sticker that says that about her daughter. Nancy, the correctional officer behind the desk, smiles when she looks up and sees me signing in. "You're prepped already. You've got to be the speediest girl at the a