A wealthy town hero lives a secret life of heinous hobbies. When mischievous kids uncover his foul routines, nobody is safe.
Oreland PA, 1980s: Schoolboy, Garvey Nolan, is haunted by an omnipresent man that takes Polaroids of him from afar. For local parents, the man is Kratz Kova, an esteemed philanthropist and golf pro. For Garvey, the man's a lunatic that stalks him in an Alfa Romeo.
Threatened by Kova, Garvey remains quiet. He takes refuge in the brotherhood of friends. But when they escalate from town pranksters to vandals, mischief blurs into malice. Reluctant to partake, Garvey confides in his tomboy crush, Emma O'Sullivan. Grown older, the crew sneak out of their homes at night. A nearby golf course becomes the ultimate playground and rendezvous hideout, a hundred acre stage for destruction.
As Garvey works as a caddie, he becomes privy to Kova's criminal mind. Blackmailed, Garvey strives to end his own delinquent ways, risking his cherished friendships. He craves an escape from tainted Oreland for a simple life with Emma. And he wonders what one last gag could make Kova's dominance vanish...forever.
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"Be Home By Dinner questions whether misbehavior is a perpetual need that can't be severed after childhood. And wonders what constitutes it going too far."
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"A nostalgic, suspenseful story that combines a Gen X romance, a splintered coming of age American portrait and the fallout of a madman."
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"Taking place from 1978 through 1993, Be Home By Dinner explores the last generation of kids to grow up without ubiquitous internet access. Void of smart phones and surveillance cameras everywhere, they roamed free. No app tracked their footsteps. Communicative technology was a pay phone and the monsters of mankind lingered -- difficult to prove."
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"Sentimental nostalgic meets a chilling suspense story." - Louis S.
"This great book by C. Franke demonstrates that this town is straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting." - Bernie G.
"Girls, mischief, and social anxiety are all there, setting the tone of a world lived parallel to, but inexorably leading to, that of adults." - Paul C.
"If you grew up in the late 70s/80s, you will love this book." - Stef S.
"Great read and highly recommend to Gen X and their kids in high school and or college." - PJ W.
"It's well written & heckuva story that follows a kid as he grows up and lives life while maintaining a certain naivete as to why what he's doing keeps getting him into trouble..." - Pas N.
"The author has a knack for weaving together a well-paced narrative with rich details from a bygone era. Highly recommended!" - Kathleen P.
"I devoured this fine, engaging book in four sittings." - E. M. S.
"The author captures the myriad of routes to adulthood exceptionally well with ease of reading." - - Raymond F.
