Francis didn't know how long he'd been struggling in the raging flood waters of the MacKenzie River. After what felt like an eternity in the freezing cold river, he didn't think he could keep his head above the murky brown water anymore. He was so tired. As much as he wanted to survive, every fiber of his being was screaming, "Give it up. You're lost. Ronnie's lost. Your life is over." Francis sank into the water. He welcomed death. It was kind of blissful to end things this way actually. He was okay with drowning after all. It would never have been his first choice for a way to die, but then who said you got to pick? Really, this wasn't bad. At least he wouldn't have to struggle any longer.

A woman and her young son are murdered in Montana's bucolic farming community of Gallatin Valley. The woman's husband is suspected of being the murderer but he commits suicide before anyone can find out for sure. Who really committed the murders - and why -remains a mystery until 30 years later when the family's surviving daughter (who wasn't home the night of the killings) returns to find out exactly what happened. Did a fight over water rights or an unrequited love affair have anything to do with the killings? The surviving daughter and a local retired attorney turned farmer, manage to stir up a hornet's nest on their way to unraveling this mystery.

Tam Alexander's life is peaceful and bucolic until a string of unfortunate events threatens to destroy his peace. His girlfriend dies in a vehicle accident, he shoots a man to defend his stepfather and he has to go to war in Vietnam where he must kill or be killed. In Vietnam his best friend dies alongside him in a muddy foxhole. Tam struggles not to give in to bitterness and anger because of the tragedies that have befallen him. When he returns home to the small town where he grew up his former friends don't seem to understand or care what he's been through. Good advice from a clergyman and a budding new romance put him back on the road to that place Where Once Was Peace.

Do not let its plain cover deter you. The Red Jacket is a straightforward, almost charming novel about a young man growing up in the 1960s. Sixteen-year-old Francis grapples with the usual problems: he resents being the eldest son of a large, poor family, he dislikes his stepfather, and he thinks about girls without knowing too many of them. Less typical of the usual teenager, though, Francis also wrestles with his conscience. Recovering from a nasty illness that almost killed him, the boy wonders if he should become a priest or not. Not a lot of characters think about Elvis Presley and Jesus at the same time, but Francis is fleshed out enough to have these amusing contradictions.While the novel delves into the many reasons to go into the priesthood, its most entertaining and natural moments come from the family scenes that feature bickering, reminiscing, and the crazy grandfather who makes his own wine and talks about Italy all the time. The author writes these sections with skill and humor, and he gives Francis just enough serious trials to help him decide his path in life. Readers who want to dive into rose-colored nostalgia and don't mind some religious musings should give The Red Jacket a try. They might be pleasantly surprised.

When is a burning vehicle at the bottom of a ravine not a traffic accident but an attempt to cover up a murder? When the vehicle involved has been pushed into the ravine and the crispy critter who was the driver of the vehicle is discovered to have a gunshot hole in her head. And why are officers of the California Highway Patrol prime suspects in the murder? Only a jilted wife really knows the answer.