A high school ruled by small-town politics.A rural community ruled by rumors.The truth may set them free. But are they ready for it?The residents of West Lake are resistant to change and afraid of confrontation. They’re happy to punch in and punch out and complain about the boss man. They’re friendly to your face but spiteful behind your back. They have their farms and their football, but, … their football, but, underneath that small-town veneer, there’s envy and self-hatred and greed.
Principal Janet Wilcox is a modern-day Machiavelli of small-town politics, playing the school board and the community like a banjo. Coach Rick Barnett finds himself squarely in her sights when an up-and-coming quarterback challenges her son’s starting position.
Gwen Townsend’s the new teacher in town. She’s a beautiful woman with a secret. She picked the wrong place to hide from her past. Caleb Miles is her star pupil, a brilliant young writer, questioning his sexuality in a town lacking tolerance. Gwen needs to hide who she was, and Caleb needs to hide who he is.
In a town run on rumors, nobody’s secret is safe.
Adult content and language.
What readers are saying.
“Another great book by one of my favorite authors! I loved reading the different points of view of the main characters. I think the author did a great job making them all feel real and true to life.” – Rachael M. ★★★★★
“Rumors tells the story of lies and manipulation. It is a story played out in our lives every, single, day.This is a book that I couldn’t easily put down. When I did have to put it down, I was thinking about it and anxious to get back to it. Williams is a masterful storyteller. It’s difficult not to become emotionally invested in his characters.” – Kendra M. ★★★★★
“I loved this book and had to put it down to sleep at one point and raced through the next day’s events just so I could finish it! I’m used to the author writing really realistic characters in very believable situations that often scare the hell out of me because they could really happen!” – Teresa F. ★★★★★
more
Rumors by Phil M. WIlliams
Wow I was putting off reading this for so long and glad I finally started by reading just a few chapters every night.
That lasted about 3 days til I was reading 10 chapters every night til today where I just finished it off totally.
Can’t fathom all the damage done to some by rumors or lies.
Relationships come from all different angles and people from all walks of life and they are not forced on you so you get to understand them a little better as they also play a part in what happens.
Felt such heartache for some and shocked at how some just were out for their own self and advancement at all costs.
Won’t get into the explicit details but this is a great book that follows just a handful of people: a few teachers, a few administrators, a few parents and a few football players.
All meet everyday at the same school and we learn of all their secrets a bit at a time. Some are shared with others and some are not but they are found out…
Extremes this book goes to implement justice is beyond anything I’ve read in a super long time. Love how all the ends come out at the end-never saw it happening this way.
So many got so hurt or died because of rumors with wrong information being sent to others…
Love the brave and courage and those who hold true to others.
Have loved all this author has created but this now sits at the top of my list for this year as the best ever book I’ve read.
Can’t wait to read more form this author-he does his homework!
Rumors is a compelling realistic story about the damage that rumors can and does have on the lives of everyday ordinary people. Having grown up in a small town just like that portrayed I have seen this very thing happen.
Phil M Williams gave you the mindset and point of view of the gossipers and the victims. He brought in the harms of the technology the mass majority uses, Facebook. How it can help tear apart and destroy, how it can help spread the truth. Williams shows both the good and evil in people.
His characters are believable. You root for some, hate others and cry for a few. You watch as real situations unfold. Real meaning situations that are happening all over the country right now. Allegations brought on due to jealousy, blackmail, greed and power.
This is a powerfully written and extremely thought out book. It flows so well that you don’t want to put it down. You need to find out what is going to happen next. How each person is going to dig out of their hole or further compound their situation.
It’s been a while since I have read such a compelling and thought provoking page turner. It will make you think of the type of person you are. What side of the rumor are you on?
Rumors by Phil M. Williams gives a false impression that it is a very long novel. Kindle lists it as 492 pages and the novel’s Table of Contents presents the reader with 146 chapters. This is deceptive. It is a one-session read and I felt it was a page-turner. Students will like the portrayals of inter-teacher and administrative political bickering. Some teachers might read this and shake their heads at familiar situations. Just like the title indicates, this is a novel about gossip, rumors, and the tremendous amount of damage that can occur to careers and personal lives. The novel is up-to-date as there is school violence, school bullying, and liberal use of Facebook. It is easy to read the book as far as the complexity of language. Sexual situations are minimal and described in non-salacious terms. I will recommend Rumors to my English as Second Language learners.
The novel is completely character driven. It becomes a page turner because chapters are alternated among Gwen, Caleb, Rick, Janet, and Rachel. These names are predominant in the chapter titles. Other characters such as Shane and Heather are important; they just don’t get chapter titles. As a reader gets involved in the story of Gwen, the next chapter will switch to Rick’s perspective. The short chapters keep a reader racing through interesting chapters as the reader seeks more information on their favorite character who is always lurking in the short-term memory.
Gwen is a new teacher at West Lake High School. She has had experience at another school; she is not an inexperienced teacher. But she had been forced out from her previous job by a scandal. It was serious enough that she was forced to change her name. Although Principal Pruitt knew of her secret past and name, he had hired her anyway. She was grateful but it would come back to haunt him. This is a huge secret with many ramifications for the reader to discover.
Rick is head Coach at West Lake High. He is good and very proficient at his job but his star senior quarterback, Shane, has recently been eclipsed as far a skill by a sophomore player, Jamar. If Rick wants to win important games and advance to state finals, he will have to shift more responsibilities to Jamar and give more bench time to Shane. But Shane is the son of a vicious political player, Vice Principal Janet Wilcox. She will be the evil antagonist throughout the novel, and she will do anything to assure that Shane gets maximum playtime and university scholarship offers. Rick is plagued by one of the worst problems that can plague any male teacher. He is being stalked by a seductive and promiscuous female student. With selfies just a cellphone away, Rick is very vulnerable.
Caleb is a reclusive, introverted high school student on the football team for a limited time. He has few friends and never will because he has become a target of Shane who, along with being the West Lake High preeminent quarterback, is a bully. Locker room bullying quickly leads to rumors of possible homosexual urges. In Caleb’s case, this is true, Caleb is homosexual. He has accepted it for himself, but he doesn’t know how to get accepted by others. His frustrations will turn to rages with subsequent detention for Caleb and Shane. How will Shane’s mother react?
Vice Principal Janet is pure evil. She spreads gossip through sycophants and complex alliances. Her son Shane can do no wrong. Janet will do anything to advance Shane, but she also has a step by step plan that will make her a principal and eventually school superintendent. She will throw anyone under the bus and will dispense sexual favors to get what she wants.
As the story rushes forward, complex family relationships will develop and be ruined. It is hard to find any family unit that totally avoids harm. It is difficult to find any character that has a blameless past without a dark secret to put holes in their innocence. This is a very interesting five-star Amazon read because of its complexity of story weaving. There is not the depth one would find in a psychological thriller, but this is good storytelling.