Light from a Distant Planet by Mary McGarry Morris

This was not on my "Want to Read" list because I didn't know that Mary McGarry Morris had a new book out. She is one of my FAVORITE authors, especially "Songs in Ordinary Time." I want to read that again now.
I really enjoyed this book although I have to say, at the beginning it seemed slow. But she was building up the characters so strongly at the beginning and that ends up being so crucial to the story.
I went online and read some reviews of people who compared the main character, Nellie, to Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Yes, there are similarities. Both are extremely ethical and honest. And they feel that they have a special "sense" when it comes to understanding people. And Nellie does.
She is a very well drawn character. This coming of age story is a murder mystery, coming of age, and family drama. I really liked this book and found myself actually reading passages over again. Nellie's struggle to "do the right thing" causes so  many conflicts with her family and within herself.