It's 1976, and the forsaken West Texas
town of Odessa, is on the verge of a boom.
Oil rigs spew liquid gold, the pungent odor
filling the air with a stink that's hard to erase.
The men who work long, dangerous, and tedious
hours, live with reckless abandon when they leave
the fields, slugging bourbon down parched throats,
looking for excitement and purpose in this dry, dusty
hole they call home. The women are always on guard,
anticipating the aftermath that's sure to come.
Fourteen-year-old Glory Ramirez miraculously escapes
a violent rape in the predawn hours after Valentine's Day
by one of these cocky cowboys with money in his
pocket, and an eye for pretty girls.
Bruised and battered, Glory finds herself on the
doorstep of Mary Rose Whitehead's isolated ranch,
begging for help, her life hanging by a thread.
When the attacker, still nursing a pounding hangover,
comes looking for his victim, pregnant Mary Rose, is ready
for him with her trusty rifle, while her daughter and
Glory huddle inside.
The ensuing, terrifying confrontation is just the beginning
of the harrowing days and nights leading up to the hideous crime
being tried in a court of law. In a town filled with hatred,
racism, and superiority, townspeople will judge and condemn
Mary Rose for her involvement, refusing to believe the truth
about one of their own.
An incredible array of characters make this riveting story come
alive. Corrine, a retired, grieving schoolteacher, who never fit into the
mold of a stay-at-home wife, Debra Ann, the disheveled
wise-beyond-her-years child next door whose mother walked out,
on her family, the sad, timid Vietnam War veteran, longing for home,
who Debra Ann befriends, and the naive waitress who takes matters
into her own hands when pushed too far.
This brutally raw, yet achingly tender debut novel, is one you won't
soon forget. The Texas-born author whisks the reader away to a land
of rolling tumbleweeds, vast miles of emptiness, deadly, hissing snakes,
clear, star-studded skies, and breathtaking sunsets. You will feel the
pain, fear, empathy, sorrow, and hope as each character trudges on
through the lives they've been handed.
And you will marvel at the strength and fortitude of amazing women.
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