Nine-year-old Royce Stalley lives in a town beset by mystery and intrigue. What are the shadows that move in the birch grove? Who is the boy nobody sees? Who is leaving Royce's father strange, cryptic poems, and who is this abbot assailing him in the street? And could they all be connected to the large sum of money their small town never received? "One Summer's Storm" delves into an America reminiscent of "Our Town" and "The Crucible." Relentless rain, and a raging river mask the undercurrent of political corruption found in Robert Ormstedt's debut novel. Marcus Stalley is a sharp, forthright and observant accountant - a character in the vein of Sherlock Holmes - who must simultaneously root out government corruption while teaching his son the skills he will need to make his mark on the world.