Ruby Sisson Library

"Chris Offutt's first foray into crime fiction, this propulsive thriller exposes the loyalties and rivalries of a deep-rooted and fiercely private community in the Kentucky hills. Mick Hardin, a combat veteran now working as an Army CID agent, is home on a leave that is almost done. His wife is about to give birth, but they aren't getting along. His sister, newly risen to sheriff, has just landed her first murder case, and local politicians are pushing...

"When an Army trucker goes AWOL before her third deployment, she ends up sleeping in Central Park. There, she meets a Vietnam vet and widower who inherited a tumbledown Borscht Belt resort. Converted into a halfway house for homeless veterans, the Standard--and its two thousand acres over the Marcellus Shale Formation--is coveted by a Houston-based multinational company. Toward what end, only a corporate executive knows. With three violent acts at...

"While overseas fighting in the Afghan war, U.S. Army soldier Coop--a man haunted by the things he has seen and done in the war--is told that his wife has been killed back home in the States. The ticking of the clock begins as Coop is given a brief leave to attend to his wife's affairs. But while back in New York City, Coop discovers his wife's death was far more suspicious than anyone told him. He decides to go AWOL, using his military training to...

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with him in Iraq. Along with their other war buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his...