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The Mortons

A Novel

Hardcover
6"W x 9"H | 23 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Jul 21, 2026 | 464 Pages | 9798217059492

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“Slippery, sinister, and so much fun.” —Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Dark Shore

Meet the Mortons: In this family, murder is currency—and business is booming.


The Mortons are a modern-day, old-money dynasty with impeccable taste, from their exquisitely crafted cocktails to their expertly tailored vintage garments. They are also stone-cold killers. For the Mortons, homicide is heritage.

They, along with the other crime families, send their progeny to Helshire College, where legacy students learn to exercise control over their wealthy peers. Jessica Morton has always excelled at Helshire, secure in the knowledge that she is the prodigy of her generation. Now, having committed her first kill, it should be Jessica’s moment, her honor. But that kill will cut more ways than one, unknotting a series of revelations spanning the Mortons’ country estate, the New York City art world, and Helshire itself.

Sharp and hypnotic, The Mortons is an epic novel of alliances and power, loyalty and kinship, and the consequences of ruthless ambition.
Justine Larbalestier lives in Sydney, Australia, andNew York City. View titles by Justine Larbalestier
Scott Westerfeld’s novels include Evolution’s Darling, a New York Times Notable Book, as well as the Uglies series, the Leviathan trilogy, the Midnighters trilogy, Peeps, The Last Days, and more. Westerfeld was born in Texas and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia, and New York City. View titles by Scott Westerfeld
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Advance praise for The Mortons

“Slippery, sinister, and so much fun.”
—Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Dark Shore

“Stunningly original and fiendishly good. The Mortons left me reeling. A masterclass in moral ambiguity and shocking twists.”
—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Locked Ward

The Mortons is a tour de force: witty, thrilling, and deliciously cruel. Enjoy it with a stiff cocktail.”
—Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians trilogy

“The Mortons are the most spectacularly unhinged crime family ever imagined. Their story hurtled along so fast and surprised me so often I was shocked to realize I’d been contemplating and recalibrating my moral compass as I read. An absolute delight.”
—E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

About

“Slippery, sinister, and so much fun.” —Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Dark Shore

Meet the Mortons: In this family, murder is currency—and business is booming.


The Mortons are a modern-day, old-money dynasty with impeccable taste, from their exquisitely crafted cocktails to their expertly tailored vintage garments. They are also stone-cold killers. For the Mortons, homicide is heritage.

They, along with the other crime families, send their progeny to Helshire College, where legacy students learn to exercise control over their wealthy peers. Jessica Morton has always excelled at Helshire, secure in the knowledge that she is the prodigy of her generation. Now, having committed her first kill, it should be Jessica’s moment, her honor. But that kill will cut more ways than one, unknotting a series of revelations spanning the Mortons’ country estate, the New York City art world, and Helshire itself.

Sharp and hypnotic, The Mortons is an epic novel of alliances and power, loyalty and kinship, and the consequences of ruthless ambition.

Creators

Justine Larbalestier lives in Sydney, Australia, andNew York City. View titles by Justine Larbalestier
Scott Westerfeld’s novels include Evolution’s Darling, a New York Times Notable Book, as well as the Uglies series, the Leviathan trilogy, the Midnighters trilogy, Peeps, The Last Days, and more. Westerfeld was born in Texas and alternates summers between Sydney, Australia, and New York City. View titles by Scott Westerfeld

Praise

Advance praise for The Mortons

“Slippery, sinister, and so much fun.”
—Charlotte McConaghy, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Dark Shore

“Stunningly original and fiendishly good. The Mortons left me reeling. A masterclass in moral ambiguity and shocking twists.”
—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Locked Ward

The Mortons is a tour de force: witty, thrilling, and deliciously cruel. Enjoy it with a stiff cocktail.”
—Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians trilogy

“The Mortons are the most spectacularly unhinged crime family ever imagined. Their story hurtled along so fast and surprised me so often I was shocked to realize I’d been contemplating and recalibrating my moral compass as I read. An absolute delight.”
—E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars
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