This was a fast-paced, enjoyable thriller. As the reader, we know early on who the culprits are, and, goodness, what culprits they are! These are really, really bad dudes. Racist, sexist rapists and killers. Fresh out of the Jim Crow era in the South, and you can still say these have to be the worst of the fictional Kane County KKK on steroids. There's a plot twist about 3/4 through that I wasn't expecting. If I had one critique of the book, it would be that the bad guys and the good guys were a little too stereotypical and could have used a little more dimension because, as bad as the bad dudes were, the good guys are almost equally pure.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this page-turner. I liked the shortish chapters, which held my attention. There wasn't a lull anywhere in the plot. I respected the author's choice to not shy away too much from the period's language and hate, which could be uncomfortable to read at times, but it's meant to be. He does comment on this at the end of the story, saying that he wanted the portrayal of the time to be honest. I felt it was, although, my goodness, I'm glad it was before my time.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. ( )

This book hooked me in by the first chapter, and it just kept getting better as I went. ( )

This novel primarily takes place in rural North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s. Trigger warning: There are a few characters that show a disturbing amount of plain old hatefulness mixed in with a heaping helping of racism and have an insular attitude towards those from outside their home area - stereotypical backwards, backwoods, southern county. The Klan even makes a brief appearance. However, those are the "bad guys" of the story and are not the primary focus but rather instigate the events that cause the story to happen. The story starts with some people being in the wrong place at the wrong time and goes from there. There are several story lines following the main characters (the "good guys") that weave back and forth over time. You will see how the initial events impact the lives of these characters, how they coped with what had happened, how those decisions affected their lives, and eventually how they moved forward. Once I got through the awfulness of the initial events (I almost laid the book aside and didn't finish it), the narrative pulled me a long and I found the book hard to put down - I wanted to know what happened next. Back stories of the main characters are revealed as the story moves along and gives depth and fullness to the story as well as both answering questions and asking others. The author did a superb job of bringing the events to life and putting you right there in the action. There are various secondary characters that lend depth and credence to the story and sound like people you would know. The action climaxes with a satisfactory ending. ( )

This book was so good! I read it in two days. I was really expecting something way different when I started the book and ended up on a journey I did not see coming. There was great twists and turns and the messages were solid and strong throughout the book as well. The story was down to earth and believable. I enjoyed that it took place in the 1940s-1960s. It felt historically accurate, which was extremely sad in a lot of ways too. And even worse that some of that still goes on today. It also made me think that every action you take in life has an effect on someone else, whether it be good, bad, or life-saving.

The characters were so vivid and believable. I felt like I knew them. Also, the author continued to introduce new characters throughout the book and I was nervous that I was going to have to start writing names down, but that never happened. They introduced them in a way that made you remember who they were and it never got confusing.

The writing was extremely clear and concise. It's one of those books that you're just reading and don't get stuck by bad grammar or ill-placed words, etc.

SPOILER: One of the things I loved most about this book is that the "good" people ended up chasing the bad people. I kept expecting the sheriff and the judge from Kane County to go find Lacey and/or Billy as they were trying to move on from the situation. But in the end, they went after the Harkins family. And I was so happy that the Harkins family got what they deserved in the end. The fact the judge shot himself just showed that his character was very weak when it came down to it. I liked that there was a "happy" ending, despite finding all the bodies. I think I would've been angry if Billy was sent to prison. The part when the SBI agent meets with Billy and confirms he knows it's him, is probably one of my favorite parts in the book. I'm glad that was included.

I can't recommend this book enough! I will definitely check out the author's other novels! ( )

Set in a fictitious town in NC and from the viewpoint of 2 characters this story is deep and painful.

One night, one moment shaped Billy Dalton's life. Was that moment real or a dream? Taking a shortcut through notoriously known Kane County, Billy's life spirals downward to chaos and a nightmarish life that takes him thru the Vietnam war into redemption.

Then a PI brings him information on that one event and throws his life into a new light and perhaps closure.

Spanning from 1948-1966 we are treated with pieces of Southern attitude and biased views on Black equality. The author did a very good job of describing what many African Americans went thru in a world of White supremacy. ( )