New York: William H. Morrow, (1997) dj. Hardcover first edition - A novel set in the rural South in the 1940s, right after World War II, a story which explores the earliest beginnings of desegregation in the South. Two boys - one black and the other white - "spend their days daydreaming, fishing, and trying to escape work. But their fun abruptly comes to a halt when they discover a bone during a fanciful runaway. The bone turns out to be part of the skeletal remains of Son Jesus' long-missing father, and leads to an investigation by Sheriff Frank Rucker, a World War II hero, that unmasks the racially motivated killer known only as Pegleg. The sheriff's findings divide the people of Overton County, forcing a surprising conclusion - or beginning - of justice." Basis for the 2000 film starring Dean Cain and Maya Angelou. 406 pp. ISBN: 0-688150330.