What Dies in Summer

Tom Wright

What Dies in Summer by Tom Wright (eBook ISBN 9780857862808) book cover

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A stunning literary thriller with the debut promise of S. J. Watson and the taut coming-of-age drama of Stephen King’s Stand by Me. This will appeal to fans of intelligent, psychological thriller books like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories.

Longlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger

‘I woke up in a cold sweat, knowing for a definite fact that death was a teenage girl and that she had been standing silently by my bed during the night…’

Jim Beaudry, or Biscuit as he’s known, is a teenage boy trying to stay out of trouble. But trouble has a way of finding him. Especially after his cousin L.A. turns up on his doorstep. When one summer afternoon Biscuit and L.A. discover the body of a teenage girl in the Texas wilderness, an investigation begins that will put both of their lives in grave danger.


“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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“Compulsive and provocative … A narrative voice that’s raw and desperate, a story that grips from start to finish, What Dies In Summer is hugely impressive.”
John Boyne, Author Of The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas And The Absolutist

“A magnificent novel, not so much about loss of innocence as innocence put through the masher. The story pulsates with a deep dread that would be unbearable if the novel weren’t so sweet, funny, sexy and ultimately moving.”
Nick Cave, Author Of The Death Of Bunny Munro

“An erotic, compelling and deeply assured debut, midway between Ellroy and Faulkner. It evokes so precisely the beauty and sadness of first love and lost innocence.”
Sam Taylor, Author Of The Republic Of Trees

“Builds upon the framework of the conventional modern thriller to fashion something that is much, much more - an exploration of adolescence under the extra pressure of family dysfunction caused by drunkenness and relationship breakdown”
John Harding
daily Mail


Tom Wright

Tom Wright is a clinical psychotherapist based in Texarkana, USA. What Dies in Summer is his first book.