Jayden lives with his father on the edge of a small country town. He stutters and is addicted to playing video games as a first person shooter. His best friend is Shannon, the girl next door, who knows how to handle a rifle. When Shannon’s mother returns home from a five-and-a-half year prison sentence for manslaughter, the town waits to see whether her sociopathic stepson, Pete, will exact revenge for the death of his father. When Jayden gets caught with .22 ammunition at school and is suspended, things begin to fall apart. Over the next ten days, as he roams the dark, ugly side of a town struggling with bikie gangs and drugs, a massacre in America hits the headlines and Pete gears up for a violent assault. Will it be left to Jayden to stop him?

‘A mind-blowing and evocative take on growing up fast, family disintegration and small-town deceits. Cameron Raynes offers a unique and compelling new voice in contemporary Australian writing.’ Kirsten Krauth, author of just_a_girl

‘Raynes’ tale of growing up in rural WA shares similarities with the works of Craig Silvey and Tim Winton, but with the darker edge of John Marsden.  It’s a slice of Australian Gothic recommended for adults and older teens.‘ -Heath Graham, 4-star review in Bookseller & Publisher