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Rat Life

by Tedd Arnold

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A drive-in job with a mystery attached

$13.38 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Edgar Award winner

    The metadata describes Rat Life as an Edgar Award winner but does not specify the award year or category.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A drive-in job with a mystery attached

Set in the early 1970s, *Rat Life* connects Todd’s search for a paying job with a body discovered in the Chemanga River. Taking work at a drive-in brings him into the orbit of Rat, an older young man whose experiences and presence become increasingly entangled with the case. The mystery develops through the odd encounters and unanswered questions Todd faces, as the river’s dead man grows harder to dismiss. The book brings together a coming-of-age story, a murder mystery, and a glimpse of its period setting.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in coming-of-age fiction.
  • Readers who enjoy mysteries involving a young protagonist and a web of puzzling connections.
  • Readers interested in stories set in the early 1970s.

Themes

Coming of ageMurder mysteryCoincidence and suspicionEarly 1970s life

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

AN EDGAR AWARD WINNER - In this coming-of-age mystery, a young man finds himself drawn into a bizarre chain of events.

"This entertaining and thoughtful account is an absorbing snapshot of early 1970s life."--Kirkus Reviews

"[A] suspenseful yarn with a dizzying climax."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

A dead body. A guy called Rat. And too many coincidences to ignore . . .

The dead body found in the Chemanga River has nothing to do with Todd. Sure, a murder is big news, but what would really interest him? A paying job. Then he meets Rat. Just a little older than Todd, Rat has already seen a lot of the world. And when he offers Todd a gig at the drive-in theater, Todd takes it. After all, it means a paycheck and free movies. But hanging out with Rat leads to a host of strange experiences and perplexing questions. More and more, that corpse from the river is on Todd's mind; and no matter how he shifts the pieces around, Rat is always part of the puzzle. . . .
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