Joan Schmeichel

Roman Boles Joan Schmeichel

"Attempted rape!"

Coach Wallis is waiting in his office with the word when Roman Caesar Boles walks through the door. The first game in the College Football Playoffs is only weeks away and the team's star quarterback is accused of attempted rape. Boles' says it wasn't him. She says it was. A witness agrees with her.

Roman Boles, a good kid from a small town, is in his last year at university and the star quarterback on the football team. The team has just wrapped up the Big Ten Championship Game, and for Boles, this is the dream ticket to the pros.

Then disaster strikes: The charge of attempted rape is not only unexpected, but it's also inexplicable. Boles doesn't know the accuser, and he certainly knows that he's never forced himself on anyone, ever.

But... But, could it be true? How many times has he been slammed in the head, he wonders? Who knows what that does to screw up your memory? For all he knows, he could he be running around at night and not remember one damn thing.

Told through the perspectives of the accused, the accuser and a close circle of college friends, the novel unfolds within the broader context of anticipation about the big games, the uncertainty over whether Boles will be allowed to play and what this accusation is going to do to his future pro career.

?Roman Boles is a dramatic, fast-paced and tension-filled novel sure to capture the attention of young adult readers. Teachers and parents will find the material rich in topics for home-school or class discussion.

Roman Boles is highly recommended for high school readers and classes. No explicit material, but some profanity.