First published 1983
Willy Poe arrives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 1873 as a timid young attorney seeking his place in the world. He dreams of finding a woman who will see past his shyness and call him by his proper name, William. On a bright July day, he encounters Laughing Whitefish, a Chippewa woman who brings him a legal challenge unlike any he has faced. She seeks to collect a debt owed to her deceased father, Marji. Her evidence is a worn document proving Marji owned shares in the profitable Jackson iron ore mine. The paper's authenticity is beyond question. Every party acknowledges its validity. Yet Laughing Whitefish faces a seemingly insurmountable obstacle: she is an Indian seeking justice in a white man's legal system. Willy must navigate the prejudices of 1870s Michigan while fighting for a client whose case appears both ironclad and impossible. The young lawyer finds himself drawn into a battle that will test not only his legal skills but his courage and principles.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, american, 19th-century, legal-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, underdog
Setting: Michigan, Upper Peninsula
Period: 1873
312 pages · Paperback · St. Martin's Press