Longlisted, The John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, 2012

1960s Dallas is menaced by a series of violent attacks on young women. What Dies in Summer is a profound, moving story about coming of age amid a community in crisis.

On the porch Biscuit finds a girl, bedraggled and speechless. It is his cousin, Lee Ann, who has come through the woods to find safety at the house where Biscuit lives with his grandma. Through Biscuit's eyes, a boy on the cusp of adolescence, we discover the trauma she and other girls in the town have undergone.

Tom Wright is a clinical psychotherapist in Texarkana, Texas. What Dies in Summer is his first book. tomwrightauthor.blogspot.com

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'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

'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 Amnesiac

'A beautifully written and deeply engaging study of loss and innocence, suffused with chilling dread. A haunting novel and a captivating debut. I loved it.' S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep

'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

'A moving exploration of the vulnerability of youth, and of tangled family relationships...with shades of Stand By Me.' Guardian

'What Dies in Summer is an unsettling novel about the loss of innocence, the betrayal that passes down the generations.' The Times

Wright is gifted with a gentle poet's hand, a sardonic reporter's eye and a path into a child's mind.' Weekend Australian

'With such a voice-driven work the author-reader communicative understanding can be fragile, however Wright manages to remain consistent in both tone and style.' artshub.com

'What Dies in Summer will both shock and intrigue. One must congratulate Wright for addressing the issues he has chosen to tackle in his debut.' artshub.com