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Lately I’ve been having a hard time finding a book that sucks me in and keeps me interested, but when I picked up Appalachian Justice by Melinda Clayton, I simply couldn’t put it down.
After a terrible incident, Billy May Platte fled to the mountains near a small West Virginia coal mining town called Cedar Hollow. Preferring to keep to herself, away from cruel people, she lives alone on Crutcher Mountain, only going into town for supplies and to visit the grave of the woman who took her in and healed her.
All of that changes when Billy encounters a young girl named Jessie who flees her home on a regular basis to hide in a cave away from her abusive stepfather. Late one bitter cold night, she arrives on Billy’s doorstep battered and bruised. Billy takes her in with the knowledge that Roy Campbell will come for his stepdaughter. When he does, Billy will be waiting, and she’s not about to let him have Jessie.
As Billy waits for Roy, she reflects on what happened all those years ago and how it shaped her life into what it is now. Her only hope is to heal Jessie and allow the process to heal her own shattered heart and restore her faith in mankind. But, first, a little Appalachian justice needs to be dealt out.
Written in the style of how the Appalachian people speak, Appalachian Justice is a delight to read. The inner monologue will draw you into the story, giving you a better picture of character while keeping you entrenched in the plot. At the same time, little hints about a terrible secret involving an incident from Billy May’s past keep the story suspenseful while keeping readers guessing.
Billy May Platte is a rough-worn woman with a deep-down strength that would put most people to shame. She may be hiding from the world—for good reason—but she has a heart that cares for others and a sense of justice that outsiders wouldn’t understand, no matter how just that justice may appear. Billy May Platte is a highly memorable character, and you’ll root for her right up to the end.
With an unforgettable cast of characters, a sense of impending danger, emotional depth, and a secretive back story, Appalachian Justice is sure to reel you in from page one and keep you hooked. It’s one of the best novels I’ve read in a long while, and I can’t wait to read more in the Cedar Hollow Series.
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