The Boys of Summer [Kindle Edition]

Ciarán West (Author)

Book Description

This book is available for a limited time only at a fraction of the retail price! All I ask in return is that you recommend it to a friend, if you enjoyed it.

Thank you,
C. West

"A relentless, heart-stopping page turner, West's tale draws you in immediately and doesn't let you stop for breath until the last page is done."

A lot can happen in a week.

It’s the sweltering summer of 1989 and eleven year old Richie South is spending his days getting up to no good with the boys from the Thomondgate estate. And away from prying eyes, he’s busy falling under the spell of the new girl in town, Marian. Then one morning five year old Tommy Kelly turns up dead, and nothing will ever be the same again.

The Boys think they know exactly who is responsible and their childish investigations lead them into the adult world of sex and death; half of them terrified, the other half fascinated. But for everyone, these seven days of summer will shape the rest of their lives.

Product Details

• File Size: 465 KB
• Print Length: 205 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: hhpublishing (July 20, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008NQRL46
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,788 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and ugly, all at once. July 24, 2012

By Norma Desmond

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've just finished this book, and I feel like I've been punched in the gut and left for dead. In the best possible way. You think you know where it's going, you think you know what's coming, but you don't. You just... don't. Mr. West spins a sense of unease from the opening pages, and builds it and builds it into a tangible dread and an ending so horrible and real, I may well have nightmares. My heart raced through the entire last of the story, and I could not put it down. Reminiscent, in my mind, of Stephen King at his best; so vivid, it drags you right in.

It's not all despair and darkness, though; woven throughout is the engaging and gorgeously illuminated story of narrator Richie South's coming of age with the girl next door. These dreamlike moments interlock with the rest to make young Richard a fully relatable person, rather than a character in a novel.

The Limerick slang may take a bit of getting used to, but it's well worth the effort (and by effort, I mean taking ten seconds to google "Irish slang: (word)." Believe you me, I'm not one for having to work too hard). I look forward to many more tales from this excellent author. He's pure rapid, shur.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic voice with a harrowing tale July 25, 2012

By Bonnie J. Miller

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a debut. Written in an authentic Limerick voice, Ciaran West weaves a tale that immediately pulls you in. Richie's fear is palpable, and the writing so vivid, I could see the streets he ran through, his home, and so much more. It takes a few pages to get into the slang, but it is very much worth it.

Well done, and I look forward to more!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! July 26, 2012

By Miss C. Marquis

Format:Kindle Edition

Well, I have just finished and I can honestly say I feel exhausted. This book took me on a roller-coaster through the whole feckin' theme park.

I thought I knew where it was headed and then BAM! West pulls out something I hadn't even considered, and I was constantly wondering and guessing at how this story was going to pan out, even until the final pages. When I was once again blown away.

This book is horrifying but beautiful at the same time, if that makes sense. Seeing the world through the eyes of an eleven year old boy made me slightly uncomfortable to start with, but then I stopped reading as an adult and started feeling like a kid again, you know that time between being a child and becoming a young adult. This book had me feeling, not just reading. My heart thumped along with Ritchie's, along the many twists and turns.

This book has depth, humour and heart. The story can be dark reading material, but it was absolutely thrilling. I was hooked, not just by the twists in the tale but by the characters. You find yourself really caring for some of them, others; not so much.

I honestly can not recommend this book highly enough. I'm actually sad I have finished.

More About the Author

"I write Popular Fiction. Not terrible, poorly written Popular Fiction (I hope!); just Popular Fiction.

I want to be accessible without being Lowest Common Denominator; I want to be different without being gimmicky; I want my books to be read.

I don't ever want anyone to say 'That's not my thing' about something I write. I don't want to be anyone's Best Kept Secret. I want to write clever books that you don't have to be clever to appreciate. I want to be Your Favourite Author."

Ciarán West was born in Limerick City, Eire. He has lived in the UK for over ten years and divides his time between beautiful Romford, East London, and picturesque Grays, Essex. He has a ten year old daughter, and no living pets.

The Boys Of Summer is his first novel, and he is currently working on at least two more.