About the Book

A Crime in the Neighborhood, told with the deadpan humor of Nick Hornby-a wonderful novel about a boy genius whose brother may, or may not, be a murderer. Its 1967. Jack Witcher is a twelve-year-old boy genius living in a Virginia suburb at an address the entire neighborhood avoids. Jacks father has lost his job-again-and hes starting fights with other fathers. Jacks mother, sweet but painfully ugly, works as a cashier at a local market. Jacks older brother is a long-haired, pot-smoking hippie.If all of that isnt bad enough, Jacks brother suddenly becomes the main suspect in the disappearance of the towns golden boy. And to make matters even worse, Jack is in love with the missing boys sister, Myra. Mr. Gladstein, the town jeweler and solitary Jew, is Jacks only friend together, they scheme to win Jack Myras love.