Pretty Boy Red

"Vivid, complex, hard-hitting, and compelling."-- Ray Robinson

In the juvenile wing of a prison in Western Australia, 14-year-old Joel Brady--small, high-voiced, and nicknamed "Psycho"--is awaiting trial for his role as the sidekick of child abductor Marcus Welby. Joel still isn't sure what he did on that final day at Welby's outback house of horrors; his memory has completely shut it out.

But is his mind unreliable in other ways, too? Did Joel really see the malevolent Quentin, another of Welby's associates, in the adult wing of the prison--or is Quentin merely a figment of his imagination, as Joel's lawyers insist?

More immediate danger looms when violent inmates escape from the adult wing, including one man who wants Joel dead. As chaos erupts, Joel must also decide whether he can trust his cellmate Glenn--an erstwhile enemy who has become his first real friend. Will Glenn remain loyal when it matters most?

In a raw, visceral narrative, Derek Byrne plunges readers into an ultra-violent, alpha-male world where human connection is a double-edged sword. Interwoven with a gripping courtroom drama that gradually exposes the truth behind Welby's chilling setup, this powerful literary thriller marks the debut of a remarkable new talent.