The promise of a long hot summer. A dead body in an abandoned basement. Ricky Nardilo in the fight of his life.
Thirteen-year-old Ricky Nardilo can sense the ties of friendship to Liz, Bixby, and new girl, Tanais, loosening as the summer begins. Liz is set for high school and Ricky's heart aches to see her drift from the island of their childhood. Bixby is on the run from social services, hiding in the abandoned houses by the factory from the red-headed woman, desperate for freedom. Ricky must make the most of this last summer together in their playground of dilapidated houses. But when Liz Panowich falls through the floorboards of one abandoned house and comes face-to-face with a body slumped, bloody, against the wall, he knows the summer is ruined before it's even started.
Ricky, son of a hardworking single mother, in charge of his little brother while she works all day, decides to bury the body and pray outside forces don't come in to interrupt their cocoon and the time they have left together. But Ricky must tangle with the wrath of local gangster, Michael Trent, on the warpath in search of the dead man. Trent, his hair like a spider's legs, wants the truth and he will kill to find it from Ricky's mouth, or tear the town down trying.
Ricky struggles to keep his friendships alive as they are torn to shreds by guilt and outside pressures - his ma's terror at her boys' waywardness, the police's interest in their activities, the gangster who wants his vengeance. Maybe Mr Vale, the man across the river, can bring them a sense of security, because if he can't, not only is Ricky's long last summer in ruins, but so are the bonds of their friendship and ultimately, their lives.
Can Ricky escape his guilt, his fears, and his death as he scrambles through the City of Forts?
City of Forts is a brutal coming-of-age thriller set in the world of the have-nots, desperate in the face of indifference, where friendships can crumble at the squeeze of a trigger.
Praise for City of Forts:
"A haunting tale of death, love, and the American Dream on a US town's mean streets"
- Keith Nixon, author of the bestselling Konstantin series.
"A brilliant read that explores society and all its cracks. Jason Beech expertly balances the nostalgia of childhood adventures with the brutality of life in a very grown-up and dark town. City of Forts deserves to sit equal with the greats as a piece of entertainment and a study of modern life's struggle"
- Aidan Thorn, author of When the Music's Over from Fahrenheit 13 Press.
"... gritty coming-of-age tale from a master of description. Compelling reading."
- Brendan Gisby, author of The Bookie's Runner.
"A great story full of drama and twists."
- Robert Cowan, author of Firm and Daydreams and Devils.
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