Reunion at Red Paint Bay

Red Paint calls itself “the friendliest town in Maine,” a place where everyone knows one another and nothing too disturbing ever happens. Native son Simon Howe is a sturdy family man–a good father and husband–and owner-editor of the town’s newspaper. Because there’s rarely any real news, he runs stories about Virgin Mary sightings, high school reunions, and petty criminals.

One day Simon’s predictable and peaceful life is disrupted by the arrival of an anonymous postcard, the first in a series of increasingly menacing messages. He tries to ignore them, but the implied danger becomes more real, threatening to engulf his wife and son as well. The Howe family becomes engaged in a full-scale psychological battle with their unidentified stalker–without even knowing it. Secrets from Simon’s past are uncovered, escalating toward a tense and unexpected climax.

More than a conventional mystery or thriller, Reunion at Red Paint Bay is an exploration of the consequences of guilt, denial, and moral absolutism. Harrar weaves a dramatic and suspenseful tale sure to spur readers into examining the limits of responsibility for one’s actions.

Now in production from Mintee Studio: a French-language television movie for France 2, starring Cecile Bois, Julien Boisselier and Gregoire Colin.

• Reading Group Guide

The Spinning Man

Mild-mannered philosophy professor Evan Birch spends his days teaching college students to seek truth. Then, one afternoon, he’s pulled over by the police, handcuffed, and questioned about the disappearance of a local high school cheerleader. When the missing girl’s lipstick turns up in his car, the evidence against him begins to build. Even his wife and sons are having their doubts. And as the investigating officer engages him in a decidedly non-Socratic dialogue, Evan Birch begins to understand that truth may be elusive indeed — but sometimes you have to pick a story and stick with it…

From prize-winning author George Harrar, “The Spinning Man” offers riveting, whip-smart suspense in a tale in which every word matters-and questions of guilt and innocence are suddenly much more than academic.

Now adapted into a major motion picture titled Spinning Man, starring Guy Pearce, Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan and Odeya Rush.

Available or coming soon: the novel published in French, Spanish, Polish, Italian and German.

• Interview of the Author by the Author
• Getting to Know Wittgenstein

First Tiger

When a car crash takes a life, to whom does the tragedy really happen — the wife who dies? The husband who was driving? Or the six-year-old son sitting in the backseat?

Author George Harrar explores this provocative question in his debut novel, set in the arts colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. The book begins 10 years after the accident when Jake Paine, now 16, comes home after almost a year as a runaway. His return sparks painful memories in his father, a man verging on a nervous breakdown. Jake’s appearance also ignites old fears among townspeople about a boy who dances on the edge of craziness.

First Tiger takes the reader inside the head of a teenager who lives by instinct, without considering the risks or consequences. In returning to “No Hope,” as refers to his hometown, Jake struggles to find if he can go home again.

The Wonder Kid

It started out as the Summer of No Fun for eleven-year-old Jesse James MacLean. And then it got worse.

It’s 1954, a year when polio, known as the great crippler of children, terrified parents. Jesse’s mom won’t let him go to the playground or hang out with friends for fear he will catch the disease—so Jesse stays home, making up his own games with his grandfather and dog, Gort.

No matter what Jesse does, he can’t seem to please his father, who wanted a basketball baseball football kind of son. Instead, Jesse spends his day drawing pictures, watching cowboy movies, and playing war with his army of metal soldiers.

Then polio strikes, paralyzing Jesse’s legs. With the help of an unlikely girlfriend, Jesse turns his imagination to creating comic strips, reinterpreting his life as The Wonder Kid with the power to make things happen by thinking them.

In this strange summer of UFOs and fallout shelters and deadly hurricanes, Jesse discovers just how much he has in common with his father and what it really means to be a hero.

The Trouble with Jeremy Chance

In a small New England town at the close of World War I, Jeremy “T. stands for Trouble” Chance is eagerly awaiting the return of his brother, Davey, from the war. He distracts himself by exploring the woods near his home and psyching himself up to leap from his second-story window into the huge snowdrift below–a rite of passage for boys his age. Jeremy lands in real trouble when he declares his father wrong in a less than neighborly dispute with Mr. Cutter, who owns the land next door. Jeremy’s father is furious, and the rift between them gives the impetuous Jeremy all the incentive he needs to run away to Boston, in hopes of meeting his brother’s ship.

He catches a freight train at the edge of town and hooks up with a “traveling man” named The Professor, who gives him some tips on the hobo lifestyle. In Boston, Jeremy is wowed by the crowds, the tall buildings, and the El. He enjoys his first restaurant meal and is tempted by rum balls at a market stall. Suddenly, a big explosion rocks Boston, and Jeremy’s quick-witted resourcefulness becomes crucial to saving a firefighter’s life.

Set in one of the most storied eras of our history, this tale of a simple disagreement that escalates into an all-out battle between father and son highlights the courage it takes to question a parent and the strength that is necessary to know when to forgive.

Not As Crazy As I Seem

Devon Brown is a lot neater than most 15-year-old boys. He lines up his sneakers under his bed. He hangs up his shirts by colors and buttons them from top to bottom. Germs bother him so much that he washes his hands dozens of times a day. To ward off bad luck, he does things in fours. Where do his compulsions come from? That’s what his parents and shrink would like to know. Some people say he’s crazy, but Devon thinks he’d be just fine if everyone just left him alone and stopped trying to fix him. Besides, the last thing in the world he would want to be is normal.

Parents Wanted

Parents Wanted introduces readers to Andy Fleck, a 12-year-old boy struggling to adjust to his latest family — his adoptive parents Jeff and Laurie — and to the idea that all rules were not meant to be broken. Allowing himself to trust his new parents and understanding the value of being trusted are the greatest challenges he faces. Andy’s strong narrative voice gives insight into the complex mind of a struggling kid, balancing his problems with his strengths as an energetic and lovable son.

• A Teen’s Perspective
• The Inspiration for Parents Wanted
• If You Are Interested in Adoption…