They were a group of five that summer. Two girls, Mickey and Gwen, and the three Halloran brothers. Mickey was a quicksilver girl, always full of ideas of things to do. Gwen was a follower, fat at first but then she grew into her body and became the beauty. Tim was the oldest Halloran brother and only hung with them because there was no one else. Sean, the middle brother, was the perfect one or that's what everyone said. Gordon, known as Go-Go, was the youngest, full of energy and desperation to be liked; he would go anywhere and do anything and was always in trouble.
The five roamed the woods that backed onto their houses, Baltimore's infamous Linkin Park. No one seemed to care what what they were up to or watched over them. The Halloran's marriage always seemed iffy and Mrs. Halloran had all she could do to survive in a household of boys and a husband who was often out of work. Gwen's mother was into hobbies and this summer's was painting while her father was a doctor who taught. Mickey's mother was a waitress, working long shifts and moving from man to man. Everyone expected the teens to entertain themselves and they did.
They explored further and further into the woods. They fell into creeks, got bit by bugs and then they discovered a house. An old man they called Chicken George lived there. He asked them to bring him things like food and they did. His only possession was a steel guitar that he loved. They knew seeing him was not something their parents could ever approve of so they kept Chicken George secret. That is, until the night of the hurricane when Chicken George lost his life.
Now the teens are adults with their own issues and marriages. They are brought back together when Go-Go, now the owner of several failed marriages and an alcoholic, falls off the wagon and dies in a car crash. As the five are reunited for the first time in years, the secrets start to emerge What really happened that night?
Laura Lippman is known for her mysteries, set in Baltimore which is her own city. This novel almost reads like a literary fiction about people's lives until slowly at the end, the real truth of what happened that night comes to light. Each of the five has their own life now but all their lives are forever touched by that summer when they were a group and ran free. This book is recommended for mystery readers.