When Ghosts Come Home
J.D. Jackson's superb narration takes Cash's first procedural to the next level. The story unfolds over just four days; the setting is Oak Island NC, 1984. I was hooked from the first scene: when the local sheriff is jolted awake by a loud noise in the middle of the night, he heads to the small airport to investigate, where he discovers a crashed plane, stripped bare, and a dead body. The sheriff's ensuing probe uncovers old grievances and rawer, fresher crises in the small community. All these months later, I'm still thinking about the ending. (I highly recommend reading this in book club so you have readers to discuss it with!)
More info →A Land More Kind Than Home
From Bobbie Ann Mason: "A riveting story! The writing is bold, daring, graceful, and engrossing."
More info →The Last Ballad
North Carolina native Wiley Cash writes page-turning Southern literature. This 2017 release is a fictionalized account of the 1929 Loray Mill strike in Gastonia—with a special focus on folk hero and ballad singer Ella Mae Wiggins—and was partly inspired by Appalachian mining town backgrounds of Cash's own grandparents. Though set nearly a hundred years ago, Cash's story sizzles with life. Readers, don’t miss his acknowledgements—and if you’re loving this story, go ahead and place a hold on Cash’s most recent novel: When Ghosts Come Home, one of my 2021 favorites.
More info →This Dark Road to Mercy
I read my first Wiley Cash novel earlier this year. I've been meaning to read him for too long, and I intend to read more. This is a moving story about family, vengeance, and whether we can ever outrun the past for fans of Christina Baker Kline. Twelve-year-old Easter and her younger sister Ruby are used to life without their absentee father. Their mother’s recent death won’t change anything—until Wade reappears and steals them away from foster care. When their court-appointed guardian starts his search, he finds a connection between Wade and a recent armored car heist. And he’s not the only one looking for Wade.
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