It is 1959, and Stony Shelor is starting his junior year at Jubal Early High School in Western Virginia. Jack Newcomb is the new boy in school, and they soon form a close friendship and enjoy hanging around the local sheriff’s office as they fantasize about becoming private detectives. The fun and games take on a more ominous tone when they get in a gunfight with a local kid and when they become aware of the activities of the KKK, forcing them to wake up to the issues that for most high schoolers are submerged in their quest for coolness or survival. “A rollicking coming-of-age tale, shining a light on the not too distant past of the Jim Crow South. With his storyteller’s ear and reporter’s attention to detail, A.D. Hopkins has created poignant characters and a plotline to match” – Sally Denton. “Set in the small-town South he knows so well, Hopkins’s adventure story is filled with an authenticity of heart, a charming sense of humor, and important lessons in courage and friendship.” – John L. Smith. The author, A.D. Hopkins, worked for newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, and Nevada. This is his first novel.
Las Vegas, Nevada: Imbrifex Books, 2019. 256 pages. Hardback in dust jacket.