Alfred Patrick

Clinch River Justice Alfred Patrick

A gripping tale of romance, greed, hatred, revenge, murder, and action-adventure. Set in the mountains of Southwest Virginia in the 1930s and '40s, the story reflects lingering aftermaths of the Great Depression and local effects of World War II. In Clinch River Justice, a boy matures into manhood, falls in love, and begins to find his way in life. As an inexperienced but idealistic deputy sheriff, this young man, Charley Scott, faces a rash of deaths of neighbors and a beloved family member in a normally idyllic, peaceful Appalachian community. These deaths result when passion, jealousy, hopelessness, or utter disdain for the life or welfare of another human overcomes some residents' sense of fidelity and of right and wrong. In the young deputy's endeavors to apprehend killers and in his quest for justice, he learns how difficult that simple concept is to achieve. A swinging bridge across Clinch River is a focal point in the story.