A Redemption Story from Debut Author Gets a Lot of Buzz

Black River by debut author S.M. Hulse tells the story of a man marked by a prison riot as he returns to the town, and the convict, who shaped him.

When Wes Carver returns to Black River, he carries two things in the cab of his truck: his wife’s ashes and a letter from the prison parole board. The convict Bobby Williams,who held him hostage during a riot, twenty years ago, is being considered for release.

Wes has been away from Black River ever since the riot. He grew up in this small Montana town, and, like his father before him and most of the men there, he made his living as a Corrections Officer. A talented, natural fiddler, he found solace and joy in his music. But during that riot Williams changed everything for Wes — undermining his faith and taking away his ability to play.

How can a man who once embodied evil ever come to good? How can he pay for such crimes with anything but his life? As Wes considers his own choices and grieves for all he’s lost, he must decide what he believes and whether he can let Williams walk away.

"Heads up—Hulse is a smart writer, able to reveal her character's gut-level emotions and trickiest self manipulations. Comparing the author to Annie Proulx, Wallace Stegner, or Kent Haruf is no exaggeration. Her debut is bound to turn readers' hearts inside out and leave them yearning for some sweet, mournful fiddle music." (Library Journal Reviews)

Book Review: Next Life Might by Kinder by Howard Norman

It's been over a year since Sam Lattimore's beloved wife, Elizabeth, was murdered by a bellman that worked at the hotel in Halifax where they lived. Delirious and broke, Sam sold the rights to his and Elizabeth's story to a filmmaker who is notorious for how he portrays violence in his movies. He now, of course, regrets his actions, especially as it hasn't brought the closure that he was looking for. To make matters even more complicated, Sam begins to have visions of Elizabeth on a beach, and claims that he even has nightly conversations with his late wife.

Next Life Might be Kinder received a starred review from Booklist: "the inspiration for this dark, sexy, allusive, and diabolical tale is found in Norman's memoir, I Hate to Leave this Beautiful Place (2013), further complicating the novel's eerie investigation into the yin and yang of verisimilitude and aberration." 

'The Dog that Talked to God' and other inspirational canines

Love inspirational dog stories? In the new Christian fiction book The Dog that Talked to God, a middle-aged widow named Mary Fassler adopts a miniature schnauzer with the surprising ability to speak.  With the help of her canine companion's simple faith, Mary sorts through the Job-worthy mess of her life.  For other books like The Dog that Talked to God, try Emily and Einstein, a secular story about a widow with a loveable dog, or The Art of Racing in the Rain, written from the point of view of a dying dog who meditates on the wisdom of his widowed master.