A Novel by Steve A. Moore

The Triangle was a small place, but to the boys who lived there, it was the whole world.

It is 1976. The Bicentennial summer is heating up in rural South Carolina, and for twelve-year-old Steve and his ragtag gang of friends, the “Black Sheep,” life is defined by bicycle rides, bottle rockets, and the boundaries of their neighborhood.

But just beyond the edge of the Triangle lies Blanchard Town—a decaying estate swallowed by time and guarded by the “Meanest Man Alive,” John Blanchard. Rumors of ghosts, curses, and a tragic past keep most people away. But the Black Sheep aren’t most people.

When a simple landscaping job turns into an excavation of history, Steve and his friends uncover a secret that has been buried since the fall of the Confederacy. There is gold hidden in Blanchard Town—and a local crime ring known as the Redneck Mafia knows it.

Caught between a dangerous criminal element and the supernatural guardians of the Blanchard family plot, Steve must learn that true courage isn’t about never being scared—it’s about standing your ground when everyone else runs away.

A haunting, humorous, and heartwarming memoir of the summer that changed everything.