I randomly got this book from my neighbor

I got this book from my neighbor, who is an old lady.  So I didn’t have much hope for it being a great book.  However… I really liked it!  Newsflash – old ladies like good books too!  I guess I’m an ageist.

The book takes place somewhere in the UK.  It starts out as a really sad story of a kid (Stevie) whose uncle was kidnapped and murdered.  His mom and grandmom basically ignore him most of the time.  The rest of the time, they’re just yelling at him.  Since he was younger he’s been digging through the property around his town trying to find his missing uncle’s body.  It just keeps getting sadder.  There are also some bullies that won’t leave Stevie alone.

Anyway, Stevie’s solution for his sadness is to contact the man that everyone believes killed his uncle.  He starts writing to the serial killer in prison, but he has to use code so nobody figures it out.  The killer (Avery) is intrigued by Stevie, and is stringing him along because he figured out what Stevie wants, which is to know where his uncle is buried.  They correspond back and forth, and his mom thinks that Stevie’s writing to a girl who he knocked up (because that’s how she thinks).

Long story short, there’s a big scary incident, which I won’t ruin, and somehow Stevie’s life turns out for the better at the end.  I turned out liking it even though I wasn’t sure.  I’d totally recommend it!