Days of Purgatory is a mystery thriller set against the backdrop of westward expansion. The action and intrigue rolls across the frontier landscape of the nineteenth century as the ensemble cast of characters is swept along on the currents of time, chance, fate, or destiny. Their lives intersect at those hard crossroads where faith meets reality. From the idealism of the River Brethren of Conoy Creek to the passions of the abolitionist movement, Deke Coburn becomes entangled in the horrors and societal upheaval of the Civil War. His story is part historical epic, part spiritual odyssey. He is a man on the run, encountering friendship where he can find it. In his travels to escape his past and come to terms with his own wrongdoing, he stumbles upon a nightmare--a loopy twitch--who preys upon innocence. What happens next sets in motion terror that threatens to destroy the future. He and his companions are thrust into the place where good--however ambiguous it may be--must make its stand against evil. "In this exquisitely disturbing look at humanity, Abell takes us on the journey of a man haunted by inner demons and a frightening past. In his wonderfully descriptive prose, Abell tells a story where racism, mental illness, and spirituality merge in unexpected places in the years surrounding the Civil War . . . A tale of love, war, madness, and triumph, Days of Purgatory is one of those rare books you are saddened to finish." --Christie Lewis, Southern Idaho Living Magazine