The Serpent King meets Girl in Pieces in this moving and darkly funny story about a teenage girl coming of age and learning how to grieve in small-town Montana.
Tiffany Templeton is tough. She dresses exclusively in black, buys leather jackets that are several sizes too big, and never backs down from a fight. She's known in her tiny Montana town as Tough Tiff, and after her shoplifting arrest and a stint in a reform school, the nickname is here to stay.
But when she comes back home, Tiffany may not be the same old Tough Tiff that everybody remembers. Her life is different now: her mother keeps her on an even shorter leash than before, she meets with a probation officer once a month, and she's still grieving her father's recent death.
As Tiffany navigates her new life and learns who she wants to be, she must also contend with an overbearing best friend, the geriatric cast of a high-maintenance drama production, her first boyfriend, and a town full of eccentric neighbors--not to mention a dark secret she's been keeping about why the ex-football coach left town.
About the Author
Richard Fifield was born and raised in Montana. A graduate of both the University of Montana and Sarah Lawrence College, he currently resides in Missoula, where he volunteers as a creative writing teacher and works with adults with intellectual disabilities. His first novel, The Flood Girls, was published in 2016, and he is the editor of the anthology We Leave The Flowers Where They Are. He is currently at work on his third novel. Follow him on Twitter @richard_fifield and on Instagram @mrsjakeryan.
Praise For…
"Fifield succeeds in delivering a cast of quirky, unpredictable characters and an intriguing plot." —Kirkus
"Fifield is a promising new voice in YA." —Booklist
“Tiffany Templeton may be tough, but her story is equal parts humor and heart.” —Preston Norton, author of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe
“From the very first page, I wanted to be friends with Tiffany Templeton: she’s wry, she’s funny—but what surprised me most is her enormous heart. Richard Fifield has given us a fresh take on a classic story of coming of age, one that's filled with humor, compassion, and a few small crimes.” —Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding and Honestly, We Meant Well
“In this small Montana town with more big problems, secrets, and personalities than Times Square, Tiffany Templeton is the biggest personality of all. Along with a gift for comedy and creating lovable eccentrics, Fifield gives his story real depth and an immense amount of heart. It would be a small crime to miss out on this joyously compassionate novel.” —Stephen McCauley, author of My Ex-Life
“Filled with insight and complex, heartfelt characters, The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton is a jewel among novels, both darkly humorous and deeply revealing. Richard Fifield’s gift for crawling inside his characters’ adolescent skins is unsurpassed. A book that will resonate with both adults and those still in the throes of youthful discovery.” —Susan Crandall, author of Whistling Past the Graveyard
