The Boy They Tried to Hide: The true story of a son, forgotten by society

Shane Dunphy

Feb 2016 · Sold by Hachette Books Ireland

About this ebook

The Boy They Tried to Hide is the startling, true account about a troubled young boy who disappears into the woods by his house. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction ...

Shane Dunphy was working as a resource teacher in a rural town when he was approached by the mother of one of his pupils, seeking help. She is worried for her troubled young son, who has been found leaving the house late at night to go deep into the woods near their home. He has spoken of meetings with a friend, Thomas, but no one else has seen him or knows who he is.

As Shane tries to discover what's going on, a sexual predator he helped bring to justice years before reappears. The man is looking to settle a score, and has picked someone close to Shane as his next victim.

In The Boy They Tried to Hide, Shane Dunphy revisits cases he encountered during his time as a child protection worker and journalist and, in doing so, once again discovers that leaving the past behind is harder than it seems.

Ratings and reviews

You could have left a few chapters out and it wouldn't hurt the book any. I'm more of a reader that I like to read it and get to the point.

I love the way Shane Dunphy moves around, a little of each story at a time. This book was another great one with 3 very different tales, all wrapped up in one another the way real life does.

Wonderfully written!

About the author

Shane Dunphy worked for fifteen years as a frontline child protection worker in many different parts of Ireland. He now teaches social studies and psychology and is a regular contributor to television and radio programmes on issues of child and family welfare. He lives in Wexford with his family. The Ghost Boy is his ninth book.