Surrender

I am dying: it's a beautiful word. Like the long slow sigh of a cello: dying. But the sound of it is the only beautiful thing about it.

As life slips away, Gabriel looks back over his brief twenty years, which have been clouded by frustration and humiliation. A small town and distant parents ensure that he is never allowed to forget the horrific mistake he made as a child. He has only two friends--his dog, Surrender, and the unruly wild boy, Finnigan, with whom he made a boyhood pact.

When a series of arson attacks grips the town, Gabriel realizes how unpredictable and dangerous Finnigan is. Events begin to spiral out of control, and it becomes clear that only the most extreme measures will rid Gabriel of Finnigan for good.

Dark and delicate, Surrender is a brilliantly told psychological thriller.