This coming-of-age story takes our hero, Rhett, who has gotten himself in trouble again and kicked out of school, and plunks him down with a little-known relative in the back woods of Eastern Kentucky, completely out of his comfort zone. The idea is that life with his uncle will straighten him out.
At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the book. Rhett’s repetition of words and phrases seemed like bad editing until I realized that was how he dealt with new situations: he grounded himself in the familiar. “Behind the trash dumpster that smelled like sour milk” was a relatable place for him. With everything around him a complete unknown, he explores the hills, with his uncle’s urging, and tries to figure out the mystery of his uncle without getting into trouble.

At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the book. Rhett’s repetition of words and phrases seemed like bad editing until I realized that was how he dealt with new situations: he grounded himself in the familiar. “Behind the trash dumpster that smelled like sour milk” was a relatable place for him. With everything around him a complete unknown, he explores the hills, with his uncle’s urging, and tries to figure out the mystery of his uncle without getting into trouble.

The story is set in modern times. Aside from a few references to cell phones, the setting could be any time from the 1950s to the 1990s. I would forget it was modern, and I really liked that. It also goes to show that some situations are timeless.

I felt the ending was satisfying, maybe somewhat predictable. The predictability didn’t take away from it, for me, because I didn’t know exactly how it was going to go down. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would be interested in a sequel to see how our characters are doing a few years down the road.


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Great read! Loved the pacing of the story and the development of the characters. Great storyline.

There was a lot in this story to like but the author needed a better editor. There was to much repeated in the first 1/4 of the book concerning Rhett's thoughts about his situation once he is living with his uncle. I felt like I was in grounhog day over and over.
I did like Rhett and his uncle. Their relationship developed nicely as the story unfolded. The mystery was suspenceful enough. Over all it was an average read that could have been developed better.

I liked the book very much. Teenager, 14 years old, gets himself in trouble every time.
One day he even gets expelled from school. His mother sends him to her brother, Uncle Theo.
The whole story is written from the boys viewpoint. That is nice, because the reader understands a lot the teenager does not.
There are layers in the story. Sometimes you are right in what you are thinking, but other times you are totally not. I liked that.

I feared the book would be for adolescents of today. Luckily, it was not. Because I am afraid they would not have liked the main character.
But I did like him, a lot.

Writing the middle of a book is quite difficult.
I often notice when I come to that part while reading: the pace is slowing, the book plods on until it nears the end.Not here. In the middle of the book things change. I like that too, also a lot. ( )

I was delighted to receive this book as an early reviewer. The story of an early teen boy misbehaving enough to warrant being sent to live with his uncle far away caught my interest because my own father experienced a similar thing when he was young. His parents sent him off one summer to stay with an uncle, and he was able to mature and learn from that special time with another kind of father figure in his life. He still remembers his uncle's big old barn full of tools, mechanical curios, and inventions, and perhaps this sparked his interest to later study engineering. As I started this book, I wondered what Uncle Theo would impart to his nephew Rhett. The book begins with a bit of mystery and suspense as young Rhett goes to stay with his uncle on a farm. As the plot unfolds, Rhett learns more about his own family and the book surprisingly becomes a thriller as a new questions about the farm's defensive measures, exchanges with neighbors, and growing protective concerns. I loved the author's descriptive eloquence and dialogue, especially when Uncle Theo found teenage Rhett's bluntness in their exchanges to be amusing. But that's what teens do! Blurt out their opinions without regarding how it will affect their elders. (Ha, ha.) The protective dog Chekhov added a sweet dimension to the story too. If anything, I wished that the mystery and suspense that built up in the first half had been a little shorter and that the suspense and action in the last half had been a little longer. The scenes at the very end of the book were quite engaging, and I was hanging onto the edge of my seat (if a reader can do that?) to know what would become of Uncle Theo, Rhett, and Chekhov. Peter Stavros is a highly skilled writer, and some of his scenes truly gripped me as intensely as if I'd been in a movie theater. Kudos on writing a great first novel, Peter! I would recommend this book to anyone who has a slightly annoying teenage boy, or who has survived raising one! It is an enjoyable, optimistic book with good rules for success in leading young men - not a job for the faint of heart. And Uncle Theo is someone who wish your son had in his life to help guide him into manhood.