The Starlite Drive-In - by Marjorie Reynolds (Paperback)

About the Book

"Start with a drive-in movie theater in the 1950s. Add a starstruck and lonely 12-year-old girl and a handsome drifter, and you have all the makings for a coming-of-age romance . . . a fine first novel from an author to be reckoned with."--"Richmond Times-Dispatch."

Book Synopsis

"A captivating novel."
--Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Reynolds creates a genuine and engaging young narrator...and maintains heat and suspense on every page."
--Detroit Free Press

A mystery, a coming of age novel, a tragic love story, a rich evocation of a memorable time and place in America, The Starlite Drive-In by Marjorie Reynolds is all of these things and more. The author returns readers to the summer of 1956 in this riveting story that reviewers have enthusiastically compared to the Harper Lee classic, To Kill a Mockingbird--as the arrival of a handsome drifter at a rundown drive-in movie theater inflames dangerous passions and jealousies, and changes a young girl's life forever.

From the Back Cover

When human bones are discovered on the grounds of the old Starlite Drive-in, only Callie Anne Benton knows the identity of the victim who mysteriously disappeared thirty-six years ago.

It's the sweltering summer of 1956 when a handsome drifter named Charlie Memphis arrives at the Starlite to help Callie Anne's injured father run the theater. Both she and her mother, Teal, fall for Memphis's rugged style and gentlemanly manners, but Callie Anne's father--bitter in his role as caretaker for the rural drive-in and his agoraphobic wife--doesn't like the drifter's increasing interest in Teal.

A disastrous turn of events changes their lives forever, and it's up to the grown-up Callie Anne to unlock the secret of the decades-old mystery.

Told through the voice of Callie Anne, a whip-smart tomboy reminiscent of Scout Finch, The Starlite Drive-in is a vivid snapshot of 1950s America. A compelling novel infused with hope, tragedy, and suspense, Callie Anne's story will strike a chord with readers both young and old.

Review Quotes

"A believable tale about real people, likely to engage the memory chords of any reader."

-- Orange County Register