By William Kent Kreuger
Frank Drum looks back 40 years to the summer of 1961, when he was 13 years old, and five deaths define not only the summer but shape him into the person he is today. Frank's father is a minister in a small Minnesota town, which is shattered by these circumstances, and he conducts services for 3 of the 5, making the deaths even more personal to Frank. The references to songs (Del Shannon's "Runaway" was playing on the radio) and foods ("I grabbed a Nehi from the 'fridge") really evoke the era. Besides the emotional heartache, there's prejudice (Frank's brother Jake has a stutter, a native American becomes a suspect in a crime), humor (when young Frank overhears a couple seeing his dad for marriage counseling) and some real pain (a scene with a frog) - but very well-drawn characters, and a story I did not want to end.
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