The Luck Uglies #2: Fork-Tongue Charmers by Paul Durham

Good Harper collects gold and silver for the needy, but he's robbed by a dangerous, rogue Luck Ugly named Slinister. The new Constable for the town of Drowning burns down Rye's home and starts to publicly punish citizens for minor offenses. Harmless, Rye's father and leader of the Luck Uglies, returns to the town to make things right. Between Slinister and the Constable, things aren't safe for Rye or her mother, so Harmless sends them away to her mother's home island. Rye meets her grandfather for the first time and learns why her father is no longer welcome. They could use her father's help, as danger finds its way to the island. How can farmers and fisherman defend themselves from the Constable's heavily armed soldiers?

The book reads like an adventure, but it has some small elements of the supernatural. Rye has a stone that glows when Bog Goblins are near, and the villagers talk about Shellycoats haunting the island. Otherwise, the plot describes a realistic adventure. Many characters don't like the Luck Uglies since they're thieves, but the Luck Uglies always seem to show up to defend people. Rye's grandfather was the last effective leader on the island, but he seems to have given up on the villagers. He lives in the hills above the town and doesn't want to come down to speak to the citizens. The author creates suspense and mystery, since Slinister is focused on Rye. No one seems to know why, but that doesn't make her any safer.