Well Written and Poignant
4 out of 5 stars
It’s pretty hard reading a book that is set what feels to be so far in the past when there are eerily similar vibes going on in my country right now.
I think that my favorite part of this book was just how easily it felt that Johnson was able to create believable chracters. They were there to be loved or hated and they all felt real and honest. When an author can make their characters jump off the page, it’s usually a winner in my book. The storytelling aspect of Ransom’s Law was also really well done. Johnson is a natural storyteller who weaves a story that was easy to read from beginning to end.
I haven’t read other books from Johnson but I think I might have to add some to my list. Even not being a huge historical fiction fan – this book jumped off the page and right into my brain. It’s one of those that will stick with me for a while.
Throw in the excellent narration by Gary Bennett and you have a book that I flew through. Bennett was able to add in just the right amount of voices and give them just enough difference and dramatics to make this go from just a book to more of a story being told directly to me.
Book Description:
Ransom's Law by David Johnson
Narrator: Gary Bennett
Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
Published by Self Published on May 31st 2019
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook
Buy from Audible
Roscoe Ransom returned home from World War I, broken both in body and spirit, drowning his pain daily in a bottle of whiskey. But even alcohol can’t numb the agony of losing his wife or the fear of trying to raise his son, Junior, alone. However, the mind-numbing predictability of Roscoe’s life as a sharecropper and his role of town sheriff - a job given to him out of pity when he returned from the war - is suddenly upended when a black man in their tiny community is murdered and castrated.
At 11 years old, Junior longs for his father’s love and attention to fill the void left by the death of his mother, but the person who has grown to fill that role is Willow Muscadine, a Cherokee Indian woman, who lives next door. When she sees him trying to locate the killer that his drunken father can’t - or won’t - find she decides to become Junior’s self-assigned protector. Junior overhears enough in town to realize this was no random murder of a black man. But the more questions he asks, the more dangerous the situation becomes for him, Roscoe, and Willow.
When the threats turn deadly, will it be enough to shake Roscoe from his misery in time to save them and find redemption? Or will his personal demons once again win until he’s lost everything and everyone who cares about him?
Best selling author, David Johnson, has once again produced one of his trademark “books with heart” and spun a tale that will have you rooting for the underdogs and hoping that good will triumph over evil.
