In the quaint southern town of Petal, Mississippi, Joe Ellis Keene is surrounded by a cast of colorful characters. There's a UFO chasing constable, a wise one-armed gardener, Cap'n Graybeard, a music loving macaw, and the "old farts" at The Country Kitchen, who are determined to keep secret the location of an impending explosives demolition. School's out and twelve-year-old Joe Ellis is rollicking through a summer of hilarious adventures with his dog, Sam, and best friend, Jimmy, until a horrible secret shatters childhood illusions. Their friend, Petal, named for their hometown, is being pimped out for drugs by her alcoholic father, Rand Watson. With his secret love for Petal, a manipulative character defect and a penchant for revenge against bullies, Joe Ellis becomes disturbingly obsessed with vengeance. After Watson attempts to kill his beloved Sam, Joe Ellis and Jimmy devise and carry out a vicious plan of retribution which goes terribly wrong. As the boys agonize over possible criminal ramifications for the scheme's unforeseen outcome, Joe Ellis, confounded by a daughter's unconditional love for her abusive father, fears that Petal will despise him should she discover the truth of his actions. Set in 1975, in small-town America, with a rope swing and a swim- hole, Friday nights at the skating rink, trespassing to fish a farmer's pond, daredevil challenges and Dixie Youth baseball, PETAL: Revenge Is Never Free is sure to delight and entertain readers of all ages.