Mountain Ridge is a quiet, suburban community. Sure, it has a problem with teen gangs, but in the 1950s, what community doesn't have issues with young toughs?
Worst among Mountain Ridge's delinquents is Dudley Manderfort. Small for his size, Dudley makes up for his lack of stature with sheer viciousness. He's the kind of kid people predict will come to a bad end.
And he does. Dudley Manderfort's life comes to a violent end in a local pasture-the final victim of his own relentless bullying. Only a select few know what really happened that day. On the surface, the Manderfort kid simply disappeared under extremely suspicious circumstances.
With the police investigation focusing on local gangs, two members of the Big Guys are feeling the pressure. One of them is sporting a fresh wound from his last encounter with Dudley. Both know what happened in the pasture, and they've made a pact to stay silent-despite the overwhelming guilt that consumes them.
As the police move ever closer to Dudley's killer, a foreboding atmosphere hangs over Mountain Ridge. Delinquency and rumbles are one thing, but murder is quite another-even if the victim is a sadistic little bully.
About the Author: F. A. Schiavone holds a bachelor of arts cum laude degree in English literature and a master's degree in library science.
After ten years as a secondary school English teacher in western New York, Schiavone took on the role of publications consultant and manager for a yearbook company. While involved in all of the business activities associated with the yearbook industry, he instructed yearbook advisers and editors throughout the Northeast in all aspects of yearbook production and publishing, especially copywriting. Several of his customer's books received top honors with the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. He held this position for thirty years before retiring.
Schiavone currently resides in Bradenton, Florida.
