Damsel In This Dress
(Book)

Cam Moody, a junior at Florida State in Tallahassee, is on his way to Austin on summer break to visit his brother and work a summer job. His project muscle car breaks down in a small Louisiana town, however, and the verdict is bad. The car needs repairs which he can't afford. A kindly older gentleman, Len Baxter, takes pity on the young Floridian, offering him work and digs at his filling station/convenience store. With overtime and minimal expenses - so the plan goes - Moody should be able to get his car fixed and get back on the road. A week later, however, Baxter turns up dead - murdered - and no one looks better for the crime than Cam Moody.Baxter's granddaughter Lane Chennault, a troubled and very gifted young woman of sixteen, complicates things when, convinced of Cam's innocence, she helps him evade the law. Moody, later apprehended by the law after a careless stunt, is no sooner booked than let go after Lane Chennault herself confesses to Baxter's murder. Yet something is fishy about Lane's confession, and the rest of the novel is an explanation why, exploring the themes of child abuse, betrayal, and forgiveness.