Nothing More Dangerous

The summer of 1976 is a turning point for 15-year-old Boady Sanden. He's managed to outrun and outwit the bullying seniors throughout his freshman year at St. Ignatius High; he's working multiple jobs for Wally Schenicker's construction company; and he finally makes a friend his own age--Thomas Elgin, son of the only black family on Boady's side of town.
The first sign that things are shaking up is the disappearance of Ms. Lida Poe, the African-American bookkeeper at the local plastics factory. Word is that Ms. Poe split town, along with a hundred thousand dollars of company money. A new factory manager, Charles Elgin, comes down from Minnesota to clean house and track down the money--moving in right across the road from Boady and his mother.
On an overnight camping trip, Boady and Thomas make a horrible discovery in the woods: the remains of Ms. Lida Poe, who never actually left town. Furious at the sheriff's half-hearted investigation, the boys set out to see justice done as best they can.
But in a small town like Jessup, Missouri, where family roots run deep and family grudges run long, you never can tell when the bad things from the past will seep through and poison the present.