The hottest summer in 1976.
In Liverpool, set against the backdrop of the music of Bowie and Bolan, seventeen-year-old Tommy is doing his best to get close to his girlfriend Linda. After she breaks up with him, he is determined to prove himself and falls in with the local drug dealers.
Whilst walking his beloved dog Butch, he encounters the ‘Scarecrow Man’, forcing him to do the unthinkable. He has no choice but to flee for his life and his freedom... only to find that nowhere is safe.
Publisher's Notes: The book has been edited to reflect the traits of modernist prose, so local dialect is a main feature. There is also an emphasis on individualism, self-expression, alienation, and disillusionment. The book also has a playlist of Tommy's favourite songs.
Genre: Crime, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age
ISBN-13: 9781917519021
Paperback- RRP £7.99
Readers - Adult
Author: A Liverpool native and raised around Greenhills, Terry Melia has had numerous occupations, including reservist in the Liverpool Scottish Territorial Army, warehouse forklift truck driver, Merchant Navy engineer, and English Literature teacher in adult education.
Influences ranging from Salinger, Alistair Maclean, Sven Hassel, Milan Kundera, Lee Child, John Connoly, playwrights and screenwriters - Jimmy McGovern, Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale - plus PG Wodehouse
Praise: Terry and his book are very popular with fellow writers and readers and have even garnered support from fellow Greenhills native, actor and comedian Les Dennis. His work has been compared to the films Trainspotting and This Is England.
“There are two kinds of people who sit around all day thinking about killing people...mystery writers and serial killers. I'm the kind that pays better.”
― Richard Castle
During the sizzling hot summer of 1976 in Liverpool, teenager Tommy Dwyer is rapidly approaching adulthood and dealing with the usual coming-of-age issues: temptation, gang violence, murder, and helping to prevent the flooding of the streets with illegal drugs.