The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek pages 1-83

New York Times best selling authors Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal worked together to produce a fiction book based on true settings from their childhood.  They grew up in Buies Creek, North Carolina. They really wanted to make this novel their own, so they even wrote themselves into the book. They've said in many interviews about this book that their environment growing up felt as thought hey had to be this cookie-cutter ideal kid they the town had set up for them. In this novel they shape a mysterious, horror, twist on their town. They place a reform school in their town which is where the parents would send their "lost cause" children. Rhett and Link dedicated this book to their children and said "keep questioning authority (other than ours, of course)".

In the beginning of the book it starts off by saying that Rex McClendon knew what him and his friends were about to do was going to cause a lot of trouble. It sets the stage by describing how this was a big deal to Rex's father because he was cooking for this town event and how the preacher was there. Then his two best friends show up Lief Nelson and  Alicia Boykins. They were the stars of the short film they had all been producing "Polterdog". In the middle of the blessing they decided to shoot their closing scene of the dog chasing Alicia as she runs away screaming in fear because they wanted true reactions from the towns people. This caused instant chaos and rage in the town circle. Alicia was trying to outrun the dog that got out of control and knocked the head master and founder of the reform school Mr.Whitewood onto a hot grill burning him all over his body. They all got in serious trouble and were forbidden from using the camera. Being kids in the summer they snuck-out, stole the camera back from Rex's dad and they all agreed to meet at Alicia's out at midnight. As Rex and Lief were waiting for Alicia they both realized how much they actually had a crush on her. As she's climbing out her window 2 huge guys in all white scrubs snatch her back in and drag her to a mini van and drive away. She was being sent the Whitewood.

This book is setting up a good plot combination of mystery, drama, and anxiety. It keeps making you want to read more because of the beautiful choice of words to make you keep questioning what's going to happen next.