Small Town America

Hardly anyone ever leaves Des Moines, Iowa. But Bill Bryson did, and after 10 years in England he decided to go home, to a foreign country. In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette, he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this hilarious and perceptive state-of-the-nation report on small-town America.

While out checking their lobster traps, two Landry cousins and skipper Dwayne Samson saw Boudreau in his boat, the Midnight Slider, about to vandalize their lobster traps. Like so many times before, the small-time criminal was about to cost them thousands of dollars out of their seasonal livelihood. Boudreau seemed invincible, a miscreant who would plague the village forever. Meanwhile, the police and local officials were frustrated, cowed, and hobbled by shrinking budgets. One of the men took out a rifle and fired four shots at Boudreau and his boat.

Seventeen-year-old Riggle is living in rural Indiana with his uncle and uncle's girlfriend after the death of both of his parents. Now his uncle has gone missing, probably on a drug binge. It's Monday, and $800 in rent is due Friday. Riggle, who's been suspended from school, has to either find his uncle or get the money together himself. His mission exposes him to a motley group of Opioid locals - encounters by turns perplexing, harrowing, and heartening. Meanwhile, Riggle marks each day by remembering the mythology his late mother invented for him about how the days got their names.

EVELYN’S NEWEST BOARDERS ARE PENNILESS … BUT GOD IS WATCHING OVER THE SISTER CIRCLE Evelyn Peerbaugh is worried. Once again she has taken in new boarders, but this time she’s opened the doors of Peerbaugh Place to women who can’t pay a cent for her services. But the bonds of sisterhood are as strong as ever. As Evelyn reaches out to these sisters in need, she discovers that God has a whole new plan for the Sister Circle — and for her. Evelyn could not have predicted the shock in store for her and Piper. “A Place to Belong,” Book Four of this charming contemporary series, ...

They were the perfect family…until the summer that changed everything. Lauren Moorfield has everything - a wonderful husband, two adorable kids, a dazzling career, and a dream house to die for. Then one day, 20 year old Isabella shows up at the family home, claiming Lauren’s husband Jeff is the father she never knew - the father who left her mother before she was born. As Jeff and Lauren attempt to make sense of the situation, they welcome her into the family. Jeff assures Lauren that he has no idea about Isabella’s existence, but as time goes by, and despite her best efforts to make ...

A historic western that opens in 1873, a time when recession is forcing thousands westwards to recoup their fortunes. The West is tough, brutal and the Indian is the enemy. But when a white woman is raped, it is a half-breed Cheyenne who comes to the rescue. From the author of Jake and Upland Passage.

Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn’t think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.

Can Matt forgive the man who broke his heart and learn to trust him again, or has he already given him too many chances? Matt Jacobs has had a very bad day. First his boiler breaks down in the middle of his shower then he learns his beloved cat would rather live with his crotchety old neighbor. But while he’s in work, at a job he hates, a phone call from the hospital gives Matt the worst news of all—his father has just passed away. When the man he’s been ‘dating’ for the past five months tells him he’s getting married to a woman, Matt doesn’t know if he can take any more bad ...

THE WOMEN OF PEERBAUGH PLACE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER A SEASON OF THE HEART. Things are ever changing at Peerbaugh Place, and once again Evelyn Peerbaugh opens her home to new boarders. This time she gets more than she bargains for. With one new tenant whose vanity exceeds all bounds, and another who is a doormat to her dominating fiancé, it seems these women will never find common ground, even as they struggle to share one house. But loyal members of the Sister Circle — Mae, Piper, Audra, and Tessa — are all close by to keep love and faith growing amidst the heartaches and joys. Evelyn even...

The sheriff of Pine Falls, Nebraska, has his hands full. When Ernie Rucker passed away, he left his house and money to the town. It was put into a trust in the sheriff’s name with the specification that it be spent to benefit the community. The men in Pine Falls and surrounding area far outnumbered the women. When the sheriff learned the plight of eight desperate young ladies back east with nowhere to live, it caught his attention. He could bring the ladies to Pine Falls. It seemed like a perfect match, but once he set the wheels in motion, nothing seemed to go as planned. WARNING: The ...

A FRIEND INDEED? It’s Summertime in New Chapel, Indiana, and feisty florist Abby Knight Salvare is up to her neck in work – supervising the construction of her float for the Fourth of July parade, managing her flower shop Bloomers, reigning in her over-eager cousin Jillian, and working with her hunky husband Marco in his private detective business – when her best friend Nikki comes to her with a big problem. Blake Ryder, a handsome, charismatic surgeon at the New Chapel Hospital is a suspect in a murder case, and Nikki is supposed to go away with him for the holiday weekend. Is Blake ...

One man finds himself torn between two cultures in this sweeping tale of frontier life in post–Civil War era Texas. In the years following the American War Between the States, the once vacated military presence in west Texas is on the rise to protect the waves of settlers moving into the region. Living peaceably with the Mescalero Apache, half-breed former military scout Holton Lang promotes the tentative harmony between the US cavalry and the Native American population.

Steadfast, Kansas, Population: 3,386 Annie McFay is a waitress with a calling far beyond burgers and fries. jered Manson is a runaway whose dad doesn't support his musical ambition. New ways clash with the old. Annie's newfound faith should make her happy, but her husband sees it as a threat to their marriage. Jered is trying out a new friendship - a dangerous one. And his actions may jeopardize lives besides his own. When Annie and Jered come face-to-face in one desperate moment, their spiritual choices become harsh reality. Threatened with disaster, the entire town of Steadfast must band ...

Maisie thinks of herself as a tough, resourceful woman, and that’s about to be put to the test. After leaving her abusive husband and making off with all the cash she can carry, her only goal is to stay out of sight and survive. Then she learns her husband is six feet under. She should be able to relax, only she fears she will be blamed for his murder. So she hops a train and finds herself as a Bridal Train Bride. Henry Cartwright loves tending the land, growing crops and raising animals for market, though it’s a lonely life. When his family urges him to take a wife, he can’t think of...

Throughout his career, Bill Geist's most popular stories have been about slightly odd but loveable individuals. Coming on the heels of his 5,600 mile RV trip across our fair land is Way Off the Road, a hilarious and compelling mix of stories about the folks featured in Geist's segments, along with observations on his 20 years of life on the road.

She should never have promised her sister to be at the wedding - not when it meant returning to the small town she left behind and confronting her first love and heartbreak Ten years ago, Isabella left Misty Springs to start a new life. Now she’s back, and absolutely not ready to confront her past or make the most of this second chance. Being involved in her sister Abigail’s wedding brings back unwelcome memories - and it puts her right in the path of the man she’s been struggling to forget. Logan Cooper was her first love, before she broke his heart. It looks as if this time, it will...

Sarina loves her mother.They have gone beyond the awkward teen angst to become friends. They're even starting to share clothes. She has a little brother, but he hardly bothers her. Then her world spins out of control. Mom and little brother are killed in an automobile accident. While she is reeling from the news, her father (you know, the guy who goes to work and comes home) comes up to her and tells her it wasn’t an accident. It was murder. Then he tells her the agents are here to take them away to a new home and a new life. Sarina is in emotional overload. She learns it was her father ...

Young Nina Macciocco weds handsome Italian soldier Angelo Taglieri in an arranged marriage, and they move to Steubenville, Ohio. Angelo works in a steel mill, and Nina cares for their daughter. They live happily in a house on Seventh Street. Years later, Angelo dies.Steubenville is a rough town where Mafia don Vincenzo Santucci runs everything from bars to restaurants to brothels. His vast influence extends over some local doctors, lawyers, judges, and police. Vincenzo’s cousin, Vito Santucci, is also a Mafia don in Italy. Brothers Enzo and Bruno Pagano work for him. Everyone likes even-...

On January 7, 1994, residents of the Berkshire Hills woke up to a typical snowy winter day in the majestic woods of Western Massachusetts. The quaint New England towns, the idyllic scenery and the people who lived there could have stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

A Riveting Quest for Justice In a small, tranquil town where secrets are buried deep, a newly elected senator is about to uncover truths that could shatter the peace forever. Decades ago, a child vanished without a trace, leaving a community reeling and parents drowning in grief. Now, on the brink of an execution that promises closure, Stoane Cold stands firm on his belief that the wrong man is about to pay the ultimate price for a crime he didn’t commit. With mere days to spare, his mission is clear: discover the truth and set the wheels of justice in motion. As Stoane delves into the ...