Synopsis
A young boy and his father witness a murdered man being dumped in a lake. Their quest to find the murderer takes the boy through a year of his life in a small southern town.
History
First publication: Pocket Books, August 1991
Review
“And every little bit of smoothing helps, in this rough old world that wants children to be miniature adults, devoid of charm and magic and the beauty of innocence.” While I must say this is a really good book, it is too evident that it is influenced by other works that handled the theme of a small town childhood much better. Works like To Kill a Mockingbird or Something Wicked This Way Comes. McCammon freely admits to a strong influence from Bradbury. But this book lacks the moral message of To Kill a Mockingbird and lacks the monsters of Something Wickedthings which made both of those works superior to this. Still, this is very enjoyable and well-written, so it is recommended.
