Bitter Thaw - by Jessica McCann

About the Book

Award-winning historical novelist Jessica McCann explores the perils of gender stereotypes, cultural bigotry, and small-town gossip in this absorbing 1950s tale set in the bitter cold and rugged beauty of Northern Minnesota.

Book Synopsis

Minnesota, 1956

Unknown human remains are discovered deep within the mosaic of rugged forests and interconnected waterways once home to the native Ojibwe people.

More than 30 years later, fresh news of the cold case reopens old wounds for an Arizona family, from a time when gender stereotypes, racial bigotry, and small-town gossip led to tragedy. Now, three generations - a mother, son and granddaughter - embark on a cross-country journey in a search for truth and a hope of redemption.

As long-buried secrets are unearthed, they each begin to question their memories, motives, and basic notions of good and evil.

Review Quotes

Winner - 2023 Shelf Unbound Best Independently Published Book

Foreword INDIES Gold Award for Historical Fiction - 2023

North Street Book Prize honorable mention in Literary Fiction - 2024

"... a remarkable, eminently readable novel." - Historical Novels Review

"Memorable... vibrant imagery... well-honed characters with intricate thoughts and emotions. McCann treats important topics, including discrimination, racism, and sexism, with grace and a gentle spirit." - The BookLife Prize

"Through beautiful storytelling, McCann allows us to accompany a family through a generation of pain and misunderstandings, in settings that prickle the skin and seep into your bone." - C. Hope Clark, author of the award-winning Edisto Island Mysteries, Carolina Slade Mysteries, and Sterling Banks Mysteries