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Luisteren én lezen

Ed Protzel

First in an epic trilogy that begins in the antebellum South, where a swindler and a group of runaway slaves fight against an evil plantation owner’s legacy.
 
 1859. When his latest business venture goes bust, Durksen Hurst finds himself on the run from a mob—and in the last place he ever wanted to be: Turkle, Mississippi. In the thirty years since Hurst had been there, a lot has changed. The only plantation that has survived is the one owned by the French family. Missus Marie Brussard French runs her dominion with a strong hand and an iron will, never giving her son, Devereau, the authority and independence he so desperately craves. And now their power faces its greatest threat . . .
 
 Hurst has pitched a new scheme to a group of runaway slaves he encountered. He’ll make them freedmen and partners on the plantation he’s dreamed of building. All Hurst has to do is pull two deadly swindles: get a Chickasaw chief to sign over the land, and convince a government agent to transform the document into a deed.
 
 But the Frenches have their own secrets to hide—and don’t need a rival landowner threatening their hold on the town. The appearance of a beautiful and mysterious woman only adds fuel to the fire. And as rumors of a civil war swirl throughout the South, the fight between Hurst and the Frenches turns into a battle neither can afford to lose . . . 
 
“The action and drama are compelling from the first page to the exciting conclusion.” —Historical Novel Society

Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller

DarkHorse Trilogy

The Lies That Bind

The Civil War comes to an end as the South—and the hopes of freedpeople—buckle under Reconstruction in this “powerful saga of ongoing strife” (Midwest Book Review).
 
A 2021 American Fiction Awards Finalist
 
 With the Civil War finally over, Durksen Hurst sets off for Turkle, Mississippi, hoping to reclaim his deserted plantation DarkHorse. With his fiancée Antoinette, the two surviving freedmen who fought beside him, and a Rebel orphan at his side, he slowly makes his way through a decimated South. What they find in Turkle isn’t a warm welcome . . . 
 
 The chains of slavery have been replaced by the chains of law. Black Codes are being strictly enforced. Any former slave is considered a vagrant unless they are under an annual labor contract. And Turkle has fallen under the harsh rule of plantation owner Colonel Rutherford, who wields gun clubs as weapons to terrorize Black folks. 
 
 As Durk and Antoinette struggle to protect themselves and their loved ones, Devereau French makes a daring escape from prison after two years of incarceration by the Union army. Still driven by the ghost of a strict, unloving mother, French sets out for Turkle, an all-consuming lust for vengeance against Durk and Antoinette far from slaked.
 
 Surviving the war was hard enough, now Durk only hopes he can survive the peace . . . 
 
“This is a character-driven novel, and their interactions are exceptional. In this entertaining read, the reader can feel the pain and share the grief of the characters. Tension builds until the final page.” —Historical Novel Society

Something in Madness

As the Civil War rages, a man and his regiment of former slaves risk their lives for freedom in the second novel from the author of The Lies That Bind.
 
2017 Missouri Writers Guild Historical Fiction Award Winner
 
 After fleeing Mississippi and the destruction of DarkHorse plantation, Durksen Hurst, his fiancée, Antoinette, and a band of freed slaves have reached the North, where they are plunged into a gale-force storm of violence and retribution. On the Missouri-Kansas border, neighbor has turned against neighbor as bushwhackers wreak havoc across the land. Desperately wanting to fight to free their people, Durk’s Black comrades urge him to try to form a cavalry regiment. Never one to back down from a challenge—and always one to skirt the law—Durk succeeds. 
 
 Following their every move is Devereau French, thirsting for revenge after what happened in Mississippi. Meeting up with Confederate guerilla leader William Quantrill, French convinces him to raid Lawrence, Kansas, where Durk and his men are training. The plan works better than expected: After the bloody massacre, Durk and Antoinette are arrested as suspected spies. To save themselves from the hangman’s noose, Durk must pull every trick he can think of—and some he could never have imagined . . .
 
“A pulse-pounding journey of desperate men and women caught up in the merciless forces of hatred and fear that tear worlds apart, and the healing power of friendship to bring them together.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“A simply riveting read . . . will leave enthralled readers looking eagerly toward the concluding volume Something in Madness.” —Midwest Book Review