I have witnessed the distress of more than a dozen families whose child died as a result of their own reckless behaviour. You see for twelve months I worked as a funeral director. Some of those deaths were due to suicide, overdose and cancer but by far and away the majority resulted from dangerous driving.

Inexperienced and imprudent, teenagers are the rashest and fastest drivers on the roads. And their wild behaviour intensifies when they are with their friends. It is easy for them to get carried away because driving is a new and exciting experience for them. All too often it is their final experience.

It’s hard to find anything positive in the death of young person but you’d like to hope that the death of a friend might serve as a lesson, albeit a harsh one.  And yet after listening to grief-stricken family members speak at the funeral of the needless waste of life; many teenagers continue to drive as if they are indestructible.

I wrote about five teenagers who embarked on a wild joy ride that ended in tragedy in The Biocide Conspiracy. Their bereaved families decided on a combined service and at the end of the ceremony the coffins were carried from the church to the words of Nirvana’s greatest song:

Forever young, I want to be forever young.

Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever?

One of the teens is spared  He takes on an arms dealer  who will stop at nothing to get his hands on deadly biocide. It makes you wonder what others who die too young might have achieved.

Ann Massey

Author of:

The White Amah, a mystery set against the backdrop of the timber logging industry in Malaysia. Sample or purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456578065

The Biocide Conspiracy, a Young Adult thriller that sweeps readers into the world of biowarfare. Sample or purchase; http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456503367