The Firecracker King
THE SUMMER OF '65 WAS HOT...AND DEADLY.
Set in 1965, The Firecracker King depicts a quiet lakeside neighborhood that is shocked by the brutal murder of a beautiful teenage girl.
Jake’s idealism is battered by hatred and betrayal as he tries to survive in a dangerous adult world. Part mystery, part coming-of-age story, part thriller, THE FIRECRACKER KING builds its pace to a breakneck ending, yet along the way contains a full measure of humor and insight.
"I LOVED IT!" - Caroline Leavitt - New York Times bestselling author.
"A WICKED, MARVELOUS BOOK." - --David Corbett, award-winning author of DO THEY KNOW I'M RUNNING?, THE DEVIL'S REDHEAD, and DONE FOR A DIME
"Witty and gritty and paced like a rocket, Matt Bayan’s The Firecracker King is an utter gas to read. A kicker of a plot, wily characters deftly portrayed, a sneakily straightforward style that betrays a subtle, insightful mind—I was smiling with every turn of the page, when I wasn’t laughing out loud. Please excuse the all-too-obvious pun, but this book is an absolute blast.
"Matt Bayan understands a sneaky, subtle truth: that the harshest realties always come salted with an earthy wit. My God, what a funny, jarring, gripping book. You will be laughing as you compulsively turn the pages, wondering; how can this man known so much? How can he convey it so wryly? How can he understand the human condition so unapologetically. What a wicked, marvelous book. What a treat for any serious reader."
A.C. Crispin - New York Times bestselling author. (The STARBRIDGE Series, Star Wars - THE HAN SOLO TRILOGY; Pirates of the Caribbean - THE PRICE OF FREEDOM) "Bayan's description of the firecracker slugfest out on the lake had me howling with laughter. Not many authors can say they've achieved that. The only thing I can compare the writing to (and it holds up very favorably) is Stephen King's THE BODY – the story that inspired the film STAND BY ME."
About Matthew Bayan (Reno, Nevada Author)
Matt's been an author/editor for over 20 years. His first book, EAT FAT, BE HEALTHY (Scribner), a bestseller, touched off a national debate on heart disease treatment. He's published articles for Mulholland Books (Little, Brown & Co.) to help writers correct firearms mistakes in their novels. He's edited for a wide range of established and first-time authors including sci-fi great, A.C. Crispin, and worked with her uncovering publishing scams which eventually led to her creation of Writer Beware on the website of the Sci-fi and Fantasy Writers Association.
Matt's President of High Sierra Writers, a twenty-year-old non-profit with the goal “to help writers write better.” He holds workshops on editing, the business side of writing, and other essential tools.
Matt's recent novels include THE FIRECRACKER KING, a coming-of-age mystery which David Corbett called a "wicked, marvelous book." New York Times bestseller, Caroline Leavitt said, "I loved it!" His novel, TIME JUMPER, was described as "a mindblowing fantasy thriller," by A.C. Crispin.
His latest novel is the techno-thriller, BLAST RADIUS.
