This collection of stories set in southern Indiana is a powerful book that gets to the heart of the human condition. Similar to the classics of American literature – think Steinbeck or Dreiser – it focuses on the lives of people where victory is simply to survive. Though this is a compilation of separate stories, a common setting, time frame and recurring characters combine to create a over-arching narrative. This is a must-read for anyone who finds truth in the effect crime has on victims, perpetrators and those who simply live near it. It contains a whole spectrum of human emotion – frailty, corruption and hope – within the tales of damaged people looking to survive. Yet another strong collection of short crime fiction in one book.
