From the internationally bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter comes an explosive story about seeking justice for a past that won't let you go.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Smith is on the run. Years of hell as an Ojibwe child in foster care have taught her to be smart and cautious. But when the kind-eyed Mr. Jameson tracks her down and shows interest in her case, Lucy begins to wonder if things could be different. Still, you can’t escape the past, no matter how fast you are. Soon Lucy is under investigation with the police. She knows she can clear her name from the chaos that has followed her everywhere, but saving the people she loves could cost Lucy her life.

Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,” a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.

They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.

But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.

The Front Runner was first published in 1974 and quickly raced to international acclaim as the first novel about gay love to gain popularity with the mainstream audience. Set in 1975, the story follows Harlan Brown, a tough and lonely ex-Marine who has never allowed himself to love another man. After being fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay, he finds himself hiding at an obscure New York college.

Enter Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner who, along with his comrades Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, was thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan sees potential in Billy and agrees to coach the three under strict conditions meant to thwart Billy's growing attraction to his mentor.

Billy is a lean, graceful frontrunner with gold-rim glasses, who sees directly into Harlan's heart. His gentle and open acceptance of his sexuality challenges Harlan, making him afraid to confront the pain of his past or the challenges that await if their intimacy is exposed.

As Coach Brown falls in love with his most gifted athlete, he faces a battle with his true feelings for Billy. Together, they must combat the outrage of the sports world and fight for their only chance at Olympic gold.