What Dies in Summer: Book summary and reviews of What Dies in Summer by Tom Wright

What Dies in Summer Summary

"I did what I did, and that's on me." From that tantalizing first sentence, Tom Wright sweeps us up in a tale of lost innocence. Jim has a touch of the Sight. It's nothing too spooky and generally useless, at least until the summer his cousin L.A. moves in with him and their grandmother. When Jim and L.A. discover the body of a girl, brutally raped and murdered in a field, an investigation begins that will put both their lives in danger.

In the spirit of The Lovely Bones and The Little Friend, What Dies in Summer is a novel that casts its spell on the very first page and leaves an indelible mark.

What Dies in Summer Reviews

"Starred Review. [A] story that delivers on several levels. The author's impressive, multi-tiered storytelling talents are on brilliant display in this entrancing, impressive debut." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. 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." - Booklist

"A lyrical and realistic study of innocence lost." - Kirkus Reviews

"A beautifully written and deeply engaging study of loss and innocence, suffused with chilling dread. A haunting novel, a captivating debut; I loved it." - S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep

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Rated of 5 by Ellen Thomerson
Touted novel deserves softbound edition.
There are good reasons why the Wall Street Journal, Kirkus Reviews and the New York Times Editor's choice point to a long career for Tom Wright. Dr. Wright gives Jim a voice for the ages. And the Crime Writer's Association's short-listing for his debut novel confirms Wright's place among the best Southern authors on the literary stage. To top it off, being nominated to join Drew Littman's list of the best books released in 2012 is enough for me to want the rest of the novels in Wright's series. And, What Dies In Summer deserves a softbound edition so everyone can afford a chance to read Wright's visceral prose.

Tom Wright is a practicing psychologist and received his doctorate from Texas A&M University. This is his first book. He lives in Texarkana, Texas.