A SERVING OF REVENGE

by R. Morgan Armstrong ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

In this novel, a newcomer disrupts the status quo and a boy observes a tumultuous summer of violence.

It’s June 1955, and William Boyer Gunn—Billy—is a 12-year-old resident of Highland, Virginia. Billy longs for excitement. “A boy about to have a big adventure,” he narrates, “is like a sleeping dog on the road before the car hits it—not a clue.” Highland has its small-town charms, but it also has a huge problem: the McCulloch family. Big John McCulloch owns the McCulloch Wood Products plant, a major local employer, and the Green Mountain Resort. He also owns the police department, where his son is a hotheaded sergeant. When the plant rejects a trucker’s safety concerns, it leads directly to a terrible accident. The truck’s brakes fail and it smashes into an elderly farmer’s pickup, killing the man and seriously injuring the trucker. Billy’s father runs the local garage, and the boy accompanies his dad to the scene of the accident to help with cleanup. There, Billy meets Matt Cubley, a lawyer from Roanoke with a tragic backstory. Matt has just inherited Cubley’s Coze Hotel and Resort from his uncle. Circumstances pit Matt against the McCullochs, who own the rival resort. The McCulloch clan is also eager to avoid any culpability over the accident—but Matt, a witness to the crash, is sure neither the farmer nor the truck driver was at fault. Things really heat up when the farmer’s sons, Jacob and Joash Beamis, come to town, armed with a thirst for revenge of a biblical order. Meanwhile, a vigilante sniper begins picking off some of the town’s unsavory characters. As Polecat, the voluble newspaper deliveryman, puts it, “a miscarriage of justice is occurring in our metropolis.”

Armstrong’s corruption tale toggles between third and first person, allowing the narrative to not only observe a range of town happenings, but also to capture Billy’s voice, full of boyish wonder. The author deftly weaves the web of small-town politics to show how the McCullochs wield their influence. “What kind of town is this?” Billy’s mother asks at one point. The book succeeds in vividly rendering Highland as both an idyllic place and an isolated bubble of provincial nepotism. But sometimes the writing resorts to stock phrases and clichés, as when Billy and his friend Kent are harassed by local troublemakers. “You are cruisin’ for a bruisin’,” says one. “Here’s a knuckle sandwich just for you,” says another. Still, the story moves quickly but not rashly, smoothly proceeding day by day and scene by scene. The author offers a large ensemble cast of local characters, some of whom stand out, including Polecat; Chuck Tolliver, the hotel manager; the Beamis brothers, dressed in black; and even Big John himself, a steak-eating, rum-drinking villain. The tale relies on dialogue to build stakes and establish relationships, friendly or hostile. Fortunately, Armstrong has a strong command of dialogue, which is enjoyable even when it’s doling out necessary plot information. As the story progresses, the tension escalates, and despite the crowded small-town tableau, the work doesn’t lose sight of its obligation to keep the plot humming along.

An exhilarating tale of municipal intrigue and drama.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Manuscript

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2020

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION