Set at the start of the 70’s in a small town town in the south east USA this book is set against a backdrop of young men forced to war by the draft, anti-war protests, returning soldiers, and all in a small town struggling to stay alive.
John Royal, his sister Jenny, and their friends Gloria and Rudy, are all young teenagers who form a close knit group. They each have family problems and find sanctuary with each other and in a den they built out in the sticks. Everything is going as good as it can for them until they find a body in the river close to the den. From that day on everything changes.
The police don’t seem to be in a hurry to identify the body let alone the killer.
Over the next few years the gang of four look into who the victim is and try to identify the murderer. Fighting small town politics and larger than life bullies and criminals they are unsure of who to trust. At times the bond between the four is stretched as different hypothesis cast allegations at different friends and families.
The story is compelling to the end.
I was looking for something a bit different to read on my holidays, something that would challenge me, something out of my usual comfort zone of reading.
I am so glad I found this book. It’s a hard read at times, every page is loaded with emotion and intrigue.
I am a big Greg Isles fan and this story could so easily have been penned by him
So. There’s another author to be added to my must read list.
Thank you Beth Lewis, this is a stunning story
Pages: 464
Publisher: The Borough Press
Available now
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