In the days of innocence, when everyone thought school shootings “couldn’t happen here,” the headline in one large daily American newspaper a few years ago actually read: It Happened Here! 

As violence and school shootings have become almost commonplace, there is still an element of surprise and visceral terror when the shooting does happen close to home. The psychological aftermath of such a tragedy is explored in depth in the novel And Some in Hell. 

On a crisp October day at Skyler Middle School – a good school, with good kids, good teachers and in a good suburban Northeastern township – a young man carrying a pistol walks past security. In the turbulence that follows, there are a lot of questions to be asked. Parents struggle to make sense out of the incident, while police rush to investigate every angle. Yet out of this seemingly senseless tragedy, comes a shattering understanding and a rare breed of courage. Readers will be left guessing what really happened until the very end. 

What Others Are Saying: “Wow! A fast-paced story, interesting characters that ring true. A real page-turner!” says Diane Swaim, past president of the Middletown Township Education Assn.

About the Author

A retired teacher, Steve Mamchak received the New Jersey State Award for Teaching Excellence. He lives in New Jersey with his wife of 44 years. Mamchak has been writing for 34 years and has published 20 nonfiction books on education, four full-length plays, and numerous short stories and one-act plays. His next book, Sticks & Sharp Stones, continues the story of And Some in Hell.