The air was as still as it was hot—only the whir of a grasshopper’s flight troubled the quiet. Jesse felt like an overcooked chicken, his meat darn near ready to fall off his bones. Mouth so dry he didn’t have enough spit left to swallow, Jesse croaked, “That guy tryin’ to kill us?”

Turns out the answer is “not yet.” A ranch hand is murdered and bad things start happening to Jesse, just an average kid working on a ranch the summer of 1958.

And then there‘s Lola . . . the boss’s daughter is a firecracker of a girl, but her bold ways send death their way.

It will take all of their heart and courage to survive..

In this coming-of-age story laced with love and murder, a boy and girl who will warm your heart struggle with death and passion in ways that transform him into a young man and launch her toward womanhood.

What readers say:

“The Summer Boy brought back memories of first kisses and fogged car windows.”

“The story is alive. I kept reading even when my eyes were closing at night.”

“Wow . . . the tension never ended and it seemed to come from all directions. I spent the day reading as I couldn't stop.”