Rogue River Heaven — Roger E. Carrier

A compelling mystery embedded in a wonderful coming-of-age story! The body of Grants Pass, Oregon, a perfect hometown in 1959, contains a cancerous cell hiding in plain sight. We follow Troy Clay from age twelve to seventeen through many adventures on the Rogue River -- the building of a tree house, a midnight raid on a golf course, the finding of a strange doll, a raft trip through Hellgate canyon, and a night voyage to solve a mystery. The story begins as a memoire but takes place in real time.
“From the age of fifteen to seventeen, I was a Peeping Tom, and I fell in love with a woman whose hair was as scarlet as her profession. So if you are a line-drawer, or a person who needs to have everything in neat little boxes, or if you are sanctimonious, don't read another word. Close my book and find one more respectable.”

Troy's seventeen-year-old girlfriend Monica Marsh is a big part of the story. Troy and Monica's love had been maturing since the sixth grade and grew sexual as high schoolers. Troy's friend, Jim Reynolds, gives Troy false advice about birth control, and that leads the story in an unexpected direction in an encounter with a serial killer.

Rogue River Heaven is a page-turner will keep you reading as it builds to a shattering climax. Another winner by mystery writer Roger E. Carrier!