The summer of 1979 was quite a time for 5 childhood friends
in Maryland: Gwen, Mickey, Tim, Sean and Gordon (called
Go-Go because of his hyper nature). For that one summer,
they all bonded and explored the woods surrounding their
suburban town. It was a summer of playing, discovery, and
coming of age.
It was also during that summer that Gwen went from chubby to
beautiful and became Sean's girlfriend for a time. All of
them also met an old man that lived in a ramshackle cabin
deep in the woods that they named Chicken George because he
had chickens in his yard and he told them his name was
George. He became sort of a project to them that summer as
they brought him such things as canned goods and whatever
else they could snag from their parents' homes without it
being missed. Chicken George was an enigma to them and would
also end up profoundly affecting the rest of their lives.
Now, in present day, the 5 friends have drifted apart. Gwen
is on her second marriage to a celebrated heart surgeon and
has a 5-year-old adopted daughter. Sean is married and lives
in Florida. Tim is also married to the love of his life with
3 daughters that confound him every day. Mickey is now McKey
and a flight attendant. Go-Go is a struggling alcoholic also
on his second marriage. His current wife has just thrown him
out and he's back living at home with his mother. None of
them, with the exception of Tim, seems to be very happy in
their lives.
Gwen's father takes a tumble on his steep steps and breaks
his hip. It gives her the excuse to become separated from
her husband as she makes arrangements to go back and forth
between her own home and her father's. Just as this happens,
another of the friends is killed in a rather odd accident.
Was it suicide or simply loss of control?
The story explores that long ago summer of 1979 and events
that went spiraling out of control. Told in both the past
and the present, the reader gets versions of events from
both adults at the time, and the now adult kids. As it turns
out, a couple of terrible things happened that summer and
everyone was keeping their own secrets about these events.
Even though they happened so many years ago, they have had a
direct impact on how everyone else's lives have turned out.
Most importantly, these events may have indirectly caused
the death of one of the group.
Laura Lippman is the author of the wildly popular Tess
Monaghan books and has written quite a captivating story in
this standalone novel. If you're familiar with her other
books, you'll find many familiar places and even some
characters in THE MOST DANGEROUS THING. While not being a
scary book, it does have its own pull and suspense. You
simply have to know what happens next and how it all ends.
Take some time to sit down and enjoy this book. It will stay
with you long after you've finished that last page.
Years ago, they were all the best of friends. But as time
passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became
adults with families of their own, and began to forget about
the past—and the terrible lie they all shared. But now
Gordon, the youngest and wildest of the five, has died and
the others are thrown together for the first time in years.
And then the revelations start.
Could their long-ago lie be the reason for their troubles
today? Is it more dangerous to admit to what they’ve done or
is it the strain of keeping the secret that is beginning to
wear on them and everyone close to them? Each one of these
old friends has to wonder if their secret has been
discovered—and if someone within the circle is out to
destroy them.
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