Last Summer: A Novel

Evan Hunter's (a.k.a. Ed McBain) writing style is straight forward and full of witty dialog. After reading "Come Winter," another book written by this author featuring the same characters, I discovered Last Summer and had to find out what Peter, David, and Sandy were like when they were teens. At first, they seem pretty ordinary. Preoccupied with themselves—but what teen isn't—and maybe a little pampered and privileged, but as the story moves along, they start to reveal their nastier sides. Sandy, a long-legged, blond, is probably the leader, although not in everything. David, a narcissistic, handsome, flute-player sees Sandy as a way to fulfill his sexual urges, while Peter has delusions that the three of them are one perfect organism. When a shy girl named Rhoda enters the picture and fails to see the danger, she quickly becomes caught in their web. The budding sociopaths easily manipulate Rhoda until it's too late for her to escape their selfish desires. The end wraps up quickly, and it isn't pretty. You might even say it's quite disturbing, but it does explain the oddly captivating behavior of Sandy, David, and Peter as dangerous adults in the sequel—Come Winter. If you enjoyed this book, I highly recommend you read it also.