First published 1967
John Ashley sits in his cell the night before his scheduled execution for murdering Breckenridge Eells in the mining town of Coaltown, Illinois. Two families have been torn apart by this crime. Ashley maintains his innocence, but the evidence against him seems overwhelming. Then, in a miraculous turn of events, Ashley breaks free from custody and flees into the night. His escape sets in motion a chain of consequences that will reshape the lives of everyone left behind. Ashley's wife and children must rebuild their shattered existence while bearing the stigma of his alleged crime. Meanwhile, the victim's family grapples with their own grief and the questions raised by Ashley's dramatic flight. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this apparent murder case conceals deeper mysteries about guilt, innocence, and the forces that shape human destiny. The escape triggers revelations that will challenge everything the two families believed about that fateful night and about each other.
Genres: fiction, drama, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: escape, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Coaltown, Illinois
Period: 20th-century
435 pages · Hardcover · Harper & Row
Content warnings: murder