First published 1999
Hadrian Coleman walks back into Shepherdsville, East Texas, after twenty years as a fugitive. The town exists for one purpose: housing state prisons like the Hope Prison Farm where Hadrian spent his youth. At fifteen, he killed a man and received a fifty-year sentence. Now he carries a full governor's pardon, arranged by his childhood friend Sonny Hope, who runs both the prison and the town. Hadrian knows Sonny expects payment for this favor. The two men grew up together in a relationship built on mutual dependence, always walking the line between friendship and opposition. Shepherdsville revolves around its inmates and guards, a place where crime drives the economy. When Sonny reveals what he wants in return for the pardon, Hadrian faces an impossible choice. He must decide whether honoring their friendship means surrendering his freedom forever. The confrontation between the two men will determine not just their futures, but whether Hadrian can finally escape the prison town and his past.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, crime
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: East Texas, Hope Prison Farm, Shepherdsville
Period: 20th-century
336 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: violence