Weddle, S: COUNTY LINE

From Steve Weddle, the author who the New York Times calls “downright dazzling,” comes the story of a prodigal son returning home to hard times and harder choices during the Great Depression.

Life has never been easy for Cottonmouth Tomlin. Raised by an uncle in a hardscrabble Arkansas town, Cottonmouth couldn’t leave fast enough. As a young man, he set out to seek his fortune but was soon caught up in a life of low-level misdeeds, taking him from New Orleans all the way to Honduras. Now he’s back in Columbia County, mourning his uncle and worrying on what to do with the broken-down outlaw camp that represents the sum of his family legacy.

And legacy is no small matter in a county like his. The townsfolk remember Cottonmouth and his kin, just like they remember everyone who ever put down roots in the area. Folks do like the way the outlaw camp helps out the local economy: so long as criminals undertake their troublemaking across county lines, they’re more than welcome to stay and spend some of that money in county establishments. But when Cottonmouth gets embroiled in some ill-conceived ransom plans with a few of those visiting scofflaws, he pushes the boundaries of the community’s forgiving nature.

Set against the unyielding backdrop of the Great Depression and with an unforgettable cast of ornery characters, The County Line is a lyrical and loving celebration of community and opportunity in 1933 America.