The year is 1978, a simpler snapshot in time, when New York City neighborhoods had both character and characters?lots of them in fact. At once gritty and charming, the Bronx's Kingsbridge supplies the vivid backdrop for Matt "Bean" Casale and his pals, who unwittingly find themselves entangled in the lives of their most eccentric neighbors. A hot and humid summer in the city adds further intrigue by simultaneously thawing out a police cold case and sorely testing the bonds of old friendships. Uncovering the real truth doesn't come easy for the police and for the boys, too, who get swept up in both a Byzantine local soap opera and the rough-and-tumble of merely growing up.

Suffice it to say that the boys will never be quite the same, nor the neighborhood and world that they live in, after the Cream Sam Summer.

Nicholas Nigro is a freelance writer and the author of multiple books in a variety of fields. From spirituality to science and medicine, popular culture to pets and animals, his informative, entertaining, and often uplifting titles span a wide gamut of topics and appeal to an eclectic swath of readers. His diverse publishing credits include The Everything Collectibles Book, The Everything Coaching & Mentoring Book, 101 Best Businesses for Pet Lovers, Night Sky: A Falcon Field Guide, and Seinfeld FAQ.

Set in 1978 Kingsbridge, the Bronx neighborhood of his youth, The DeTestables, a short story, is a prequel to Cream Sam Summer, the author's first novel. He lives in New York City.