John E. Keegan

"A strong sense of place, solid characterization, and an excellent plot all work together to create this novel's considerable power.  Packing the punch of Stephen King's novella, The Body [Stand by Me, the film], a classic of small-town life disrupted by violent death.  This carefully crafted novel is, in its turn, highly recommended."

- Library Journal 

"The sleepy town of Stampede, Washington, is abuzz at the outset of Keegan's fast-paced warm-hearted novel. Free-spirited artist Kathryn Scanlon, wife of newspaper editor Tom Scanlon, has just drowned in the Jacuzzi at the home of wealthy John Carlisle, Tom's boss. For 17-year old narrator Piper Scanlon, Tom and Kathryn's adopted daughter, Kathryn's death marks the end of the world as she knows it. While her father copes by burying himself in work and alcohol, Piper shaves her head in frustration and anger. This absorbing coming-of-age chronicle culminates in a scandal, a tragedy and the revelation of a secret."

-Publisher's Weekly

Small town Cyrus Stapleton thought he'd done everything right - married well, fathered two precocious kids, and partnered in his law firm - but his wife Jude wanted to break out.  Soon enough she sheds her ring, then her married name, and finally her bewildered husband.