Don't Drive Left Lane in Alexandria by Pete Reilly

Set in Alexandria, Virginia, during the turbulent summer of 1973, Don’t Drive Left Lane in Alexandria is a richly layered coming-of-age novel set against one of the most transformative periods in modern American history.

When a lineman is electrocuted during a violent thunderstorm, a wrongful death lawsuit begins to unravel and intertwine the lives of two very different families. At the center of the story is Cowboy Murphy, a rising senior at T.C. Williams High School, whose world revolves around friendships, basketball games at “the Pitt,” music, first love, and the uncertainty of a rapidly changing America.

Meanwhile, Cowboy’s mother, Brigid Murphy, refuses to give up hope that her son missing in Vietnam will one day return home. Across town, attorney Scott Jacob and his family become deeply connected to the lawsuit and the shifting cultural tensions shaping the era.

Against a vivid backdrop of Watergate hearings, Roe v. Wade, anti-war sentiment, feminism, racial tension, gas shortages, and the soundtrack of 1970s rock and soul music, the novel captures a country struggling to redefine itself — and the young people trying to find their place within it.

Blending historical detail, family drama, friendship, romance, and nostalgia, Don’t Drive Left Lane in Alexandria is both a portrait of a city and a tribute to a generation coming of age during uncertain times.

About the Author

Pete Reilly’s Don’t Drive Left Lane in Alexandria is a tribute to the unforgettable years of 1973–74 in Alexandria, Virginia, where he lived and came of age as a high school senior.

Pete spent more than forty years with the public accounting firm Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM), where he earned national recognition during his tenure as president. His career included uncovering fraud involving international humanitarian organizations and leading the successful acquisition of numerous CPA firms.

A graduate of Marquette University’s School of Business, Pete also studied at Loyola University in Rome, Italy, and is a member of the Virginia Writers Club. Outside of writing, he has completed the demanding 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim twenty-three times and is happiest with a fly rod in hand somewhere along the Indian Ocean.

Pete and his wife, Crissy, live in Alexandria, Virginia, and are proud parents of three grown children. They still deeply miss their two beloved yellow labs.