A Killing in Quail County

"I had a normal childhood except for the murder I was involved in the summer before I turned sixteen," is the first sentence of this striking little gem, rich with the pains and pleasures of growing up. Tough and resourceful Mark Stoddard is trying hard to hold his life together in Bob White, Oklahoma, in 1957. His parents have been dead for several months, and his once-close relationship with his 24-year-old brother Jess (a deputy sheriff, now his legal guardian) is cracking under the strain. When Jess seems to be involved in the killing of a stranger, Mark tries to help -- and learns how dangerous and deceptive life can be.