Skeletons

Skeletons is the sequel to Elephant. Matthew 'Matty' Smith wakes from a coma to find that his grandmother Jamie and his friend Derek have disappeared. He also learns that, years earlier, his mother killed his father and grandfather. Hospital staff have cut him off from visitors, including his closest friend Lisa, and his claims about a figure he calls the 'stranger' are dismissed. Doctors believe he is sinking into the same unstable mental state that has run through his family.

Lisa eventually breaks Matty out of the hospital, and the two become fugitives from Dr. Brown, Officer Barry, and the local police in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They set out to locate their missing friends, including Lucia, and to learn who the stranger really is. As the truth about the stranger comes into focus, Matty keeps digging into the Smith family's buried history and the secrets the town has kept with it.

The book is written for readers who feel that no one listens to them, and for children, teenagers, and adults who have never had a real chance to heal from what hurt them.