Outskirts Press, INC.

A young man’s second chance at life.

Leland had a poor start in life. He became an orphan at six and had mixed success in being placed with families who raised him. He became a coal miner at twelve and a moonshiner by eighteen. At twenty-two his life changed when he moved to Herrin, a new center of the coal industry. In Herrin he saw ‘normal’ families and decided he wanted one for himself. Toiling in the mines on work days and in a tavern some evenings provided him with a good income, camaraderie and a chance to fit in with the local society. Bertha was also looking for a good family in which she could reach her main goal in life: to have many children to raise. Leland seemed like a good match. He was a hard worker who would provide a place for her to raise the children. The Herrin Massacre was the start of an unraveling of Leland’s plans: other bad news followed. He had to struggle to keep his ship afloat. Set in Williamson County, Illinois, this novel is an historic portrayal of life in coal mining country during prohibition. Glimpses of gangster activity and a coal miner’s strike that ended in a massacre keep this exciting story moving at a fast pace.