Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy

Book of the Week: 26 April 2026

Cover illustration by Jon Gray

Dead Straight Line is a game invented by sixteen year old Rory to alleviate the boredom of school and everyday life. The aim is to make your way across town in a straight line without following footpaths or catching buses. This can, and frequently does, involve going through people’s gardens  – front or back – and climbing over their fences. He and his gang: Barny, Mad, Dean and Sharky have all played the game numerous times, so when Rory’s girlfriend’s younger brother Eliot starts to hang round with them, Rory persuades him to take part. This is where everything goes wrong and something dreadful happens to Eliot that backfires on Rory. He becomes not just someone who his mates no longer look up to, but someone they actively despise. Will it ever be possible for Rory to put his life back together after what has happened?

This is a book full of dilemmas that make you wonder what you would do under the same circumstances. Rory is cool, quick-witted and occasionally infuriating, but you still find yourself rooting for him despite his recklessness. It is a convincing and compelling story of someone whose life is falling apart and who must take some hard decisions to try and rebuild it.