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The Kindred
Gathering
A RECKONING WITH THE
MELUNGEONS
Part
mystery, part history in action, this unique page-turner combines the best of
both genres in a struggle for justice and survival that
plays out in a crowded West Virginia courtroom.
It’s
1963 and the action starts quickly during a hastily called board of
directors meeting of a large Ohio steel company when a
ruthless corporate officer conspires
to take over valuable mountaintop
land—land in Coalwood, West Virginia that is
believed to contain one of the richest
seams of bituminous coal ever found in North
America; land that was a Revolutionary War bounty from George Washington to
Micager Whitaker. Land that now
belongs to Micager’s direct descendant,
Ezekial “Pappy” Whitaker.
Desperately
in need of a way to acquire the land, J Frank Hutson, Chief Executive Officer of
Champion Sheet and Tube, attempts to seize the
property through bribery, deception, and legal means.
When
a corrupt county court seizes his property, “Pappy” Whitaker calls upon his
kindred far and wide to help prepare for an all out war to prevent the loss of
his beloved homestead. In
concert with the Melungeons, a mysterious group of people of
largely unknown ancestry, they converge upon Coalwood with rifles,
shotguns, and other tools of battle to help one of their own.
Even
a few of the Coalwood Misfits, whose hangout is the mysterious Bat Cave, join
in, adding more intrigue to the mystery of just who owns the land.
“Pappy,”
along with a dissident female board member and a college
professor, faces off against a powerful corporation, and finds himself entangled
in a scheme laced with real-life violence; a tightening triangle of deception
and suspicion that leads him to the truth.
Once
again, the authors give us a novel of nonstop suspense – large in scope, and
built around characters of striking originality and substance.
It is an electrifying read.
About the Author:
J.
R. Hatmaker is the author of several titles
including Shadows Over Us, and The Coalwood Misfits.
He was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia.
Hatmaker/2003/Paperback
ISBN #0-9713342-1-8 $16.00 (U.S.)
