Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Jim Beaudry is a teenage boy trying to stay out of trouble. But trouble has a way of finding him. When he finds his cousin, L.A., on his porch one morning, bedraggled and shaking and unable to speak, he knows this can only mean bad news. Then Jim and L.A. discover the body of a girl in the wilderness.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

I did what I did, and that's on me. But there's no way to make sense of what happened without figuring L.A. into it too. That was the thing with her--she never tried to change anything or anybody, but nothing she touched was ever the same again, including me. I think one reason was that whatever she did--and don't get the idea I'm forgetting she was a girl-- she did absolutely balls-out. No warnings, no explanations and no particular interest in whether you understood or not. The way we got her in the first place was a perfect example. Supposedly I have a touch of the Sight, which Gram says is some kind of throwback that crops up in her family every so often. In my case it's unpredictable and generally useless, but this time it was dead on, flashing inside my head like heat lightning just as we were finishing the breakfast dishes in the kitchen. Something was wrong on the front porch. Not dangerous or spooky, just out of whack. I dried my hands and went out to look. Excerpted from What Dies in Summer by Tom Wright All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* A succession of discoveries, each more shocking than the last, alters the world of cousins James Bonham and Lee Ann Rowe. Both teens have left their dysfunctional parents' homes for the safety of living nearby with their maternal grandmother, with whom they also share the gift of second sight. First they find the sexually mutilated body of a teenage girl who has been appearing in James' dreams, and police determine that she was the third victim of the same killer. Then devastating family secrets kept for generations are revealed, answering questions but tearing apart some of the fabric of their lives. When James and Lee Ann are asked by authorities to use their psychic abilities to help identify the killer, a deceptive sense of peace is achieved, and James joins his girlfriend's family for a vacation that's abruptly cut short. These events are all the more shocking for occurring during what otherwise seems a typical summer, with characters drinking sun tea on the porch to mitigate the Texas heat. Even with its hints of southern gothic and mysticism, this coming-of-age novel keeps its solidly quotidian background. An unusually accomplished and evocative debut, in which what dies is innocence.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Youngsters sometimes confront this hard world too soon, coming away scarred or stronger. In Wright's debut literary fiction, teenage James Bonham meets evil one summer. In an era when The Doors are on the radio and fans believe Elvis has grown too fat, James discovers his cousin, Lee Ann, on his grandmother's doorstep, nearly frozen and shocked into muteness. James, his father dead, lives with Gram. His mother, Leah, had moved them from Jacksboro, Texas, to Dallas, only to take up with a boyfriend, Jack, who fancied himself a boxer and used James as a practice punching bag. James and Lee Ann (daughter of Leah's sister, Rachel, and known as L.A. to the family) are almost the same age, old enough to drive, and great friends who are protective of one another. Wright's gift is superb characterization. Churchgoing Gram is firm, loving, accepting and solidly independent. Gram's dear friend Dr. Kepler taught at Southern Methodist but lost all faith when her family was sent to Hitler's ovens. Incidental characters sparkle, like Colossians Odell, a half-mad, street-dwelling basso profundo, and Froggy, neighborhood store clerk. L.A., "something hard and dangerous in her eyes," has been sexually abused by her father, Cam. That damage, and the childhood abuse of Rachel and Leah that still echoes, play out against the murders of three teenage girls. One body, mutilated and staged, is discovered by L.A. and James. Other threads blend into the complex narrative. James desperately wants Diana Chamfort, whose father, Don, is a Dallas police lieutenant leading the murder investigation. James' friend, Dee, a "gentle boy" with artistic talent, is relegated to military school with tragic results. Told from James' point of view, the story moves along believably as James is confused and overwhelmed by family crises, danger from the serial killer and his sexual desire for Diana, only to ultimately learn: "Maybe the big plan didn't call for people being entitled to explanations." A lyrical and realistic study of innocence lost.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.