White Crosses - by Larry Watson (Paperback)

About the Book

From the bestselling author of "Montana 1948" comes "one of the most irresistible novels of the year" ("The (Toronto) Globe and Mail"). After a mysterious car accident occurs, Sheriff Jack Nevelson is compelled to try and protect a part of his hometown that even a hero would have trouble saving--its innocence.

Book Synopsis

Larry Watson's previous fiction evoking contemporary Western small-town life has won him awards, a dedicated readership, and unqualified critical praise. Now he has written a novel that envelops the rich emotional terrain of his beloved Montana in a mystery that is both unexpected and unforgettable.
After a nighttime accident at the bottom of Sprull Hill in Bentrock, Sheriff Jack Nevelsen is compelled to try and protect a part of his hometown that even a hero would have trouble saving -- its innocence. For most everyone in the community would agree that June Moss, the quiet girl who had just graduated from high school, and Leo Bauer, the principal of Bentrock Elementary and a married man like Jack, had no business heading out of town together.
As Jack sets out to unravel the mystery of their deaths, he begins to create a story to shield his town, a lie that will reverberate throughout an entire community, and into the shadows of his own heart.

Review Quotes

Chris Faatz The Nation There's something eminently universal in Watson's ponderings on the human condition, and it's refracted through a nearly perfect eye for character, place, and the rhythms of language.

Margaret Cannon The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Haunting....One of the most irresistible novels of the year.

Nancy Pate Chicago Tribune Morally and emotionally complex, the writing assured....Readers of Montana 1948 will find themselves on familiar ground.

About the Author

Larry Watson was born in Rugby, North Dakota and raised in Bismarck. He is the recipient of the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, a National Endowment of the Arts award, and the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association Regional Book Award. Watson teachers English at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Points.