I was surprised by how much I liked this book despite its simple premise. Warning to the wise - you may not like the main character at all for a good part of the first measure of the book. That's because the main character, Col, belongs to a family of criminals and he couldn't be more (though I wish the author could've delved more into that - would've made the work that much more potent). Col lives with his mother and elder brother where his father was a major criminal within the town. So their family has a bit of a bad reputation, and Col is willing to watch his brother's back no matter what amount of trouble he gets into.However, all that changes when Col inadvertently saves the life of a younger boy named Dominic. Then he becomes the community hero and has to contend with all the attention that receives. And it doesn't fare well with Cal's brother, who doesn't like the public attention - mostly because it brings unwanted attention to the family, but I think the author could've played it as a jealousy factor as well. As Col gets closer to Dominic's family and undergoes the transformation of what "doing a good dead" entails, he starts questioning many morality issues, involving his brother, and involving a boy who asks Cal for his help close to the lake.Oh the revelations in this book. Some of them hit me and I felt bad for Col, but others I kind of saw coming. I didn't really like the main character or feel for him until a good way into the book, but I think that's intentional. When you do, it makes the conflict that much more, but I think the the author could've played upon it on a more intimate scale. But I will fully admit that I enjoyed the read in the two hours I took to sit down and take it all in. It sends an intriguing message about loyalty, but could've taken it further to make it more realistic.Overall score: 3/5
