The fact it took me two weeks to read this book means that I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either.

I had high hopes for the story after reading the blurb. I mean it's after Prohibition. A drifter is buried in potter's field near a closed down distillery and "miracles" start happening. We have a little bit of everything....rum runners, mobsters, a modern day Jesus and his fanatical followers.

This family, the McFee's faced tragedy, losing the family business to prohibition then wallowing in the "after" of it. William the oldest son had a dream of being the next master distiller but his father will not hear of reopening the distillery....even if that meant putting people in their small town back to work. Spreading hope and making a good life. Nope, he wants to wallow in his bottle and grieve his youngest son, Henry, who was killed under odd circumstances in a car accident.

Annie, the McFee's only daughter, has a misshapen leg and needs a brace to help "straighten it out" and get her back to normal. Johnathan the middle son doesn't know what's going on half the time but tries so hard to get his dad's attention.

The story centers around these characters and while we know who they are and why they act a certain way they still feel a little flat to me. Like they have all taken a deep breath and are waiting for someone to tell them it's time to exhale. We have a bad guy, Tommy the Bat, who is looking for revenge against Barley McFee, the dad, for his ending up in prison. We have the antagonist in a reporter who happens to be a Klansmen.

And William, always looking for answers. Was Asher Keating really the second coming of Jesus? Did he preform miracles? Was he really trying to help Henry the night he died? Who was he and where did he come from? Some answers were expected others felt like they were an after thought.

Like I stated in the beginning. Didn't hate it but it's not one that I will reread until I know it by heart. Will I read more by this author, yes...one book does not a career make. ( )

Picked this up to read now that I live in the middle of Kentucky bourbon country and also the "Kentucky Holy Land." I was a tad disappointed that, with a rural Catholic stronghold in the center of the state (and surrounded by distilleries), the author didn't play up this aspect for a historical novel involving a Catholic church-attending family and miracles, but whatever. The story was well-written and well-developed, with a complex plot and complex characters. I was consistently impressed with how cohesive and engaging the author kept the many components. This could easily have slipped into a violence-driven thriller or used the religious aspect as just another plot device, but instead there was depth throughout the entire novel as it explored the issues of Depression-era Kentucky (with continuing legacies of WWI and Prohibition), the grief of a family, and navigating the complexities of faith, maturing, and family relationships. I'll definitely be seeking out other books by this author. ( )

I wasn't really sure about this book at first. I felt kinda lost and wasn't understanding what the book was about. I'm glad I kept going because slowly the author starts to develop characters that come alive. I loved the history behind prohibition and the era it was set in. In the woods of Kentucky lies distilleries. The people are glad that prohibition is over and they are ready to crank up the distillery again. Now who is going to run it?

Can you imagine running a distillery to pay bills, put food on the table and have spending money? There were plenty of people who depended on their craft but when the FBI came in and closed them, it must have been a real hardship. The story focuses on a family who has decided to start their distillery up again. The characters are interesting and I really liked the biblical reference to the story of Jesus. Some poor lost man dies and people believe he will arise again. There sit twelve believers much like the disciples waiting for the miracle to happen.

The town is a mixture of characters and for some reason I just could not follow the story. Who is this person who everyone believes is a miracle? Could it be Jesus they were witnessing with their own eyes? People in the town believe this man is making miracles happen. There is mystery , people running from the law and a man many claim could be Jesus. In this little town they need a miracle to keep it running. Asher is a great character who will play a very intricate part in this story. Who is he really? Did he come to help the town? The book is quite different but one that is worth reading.

I received a copy of this book from the Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion. ( )

This book was a well written story about a drifter who comes to town after the Prohibition era has ended. The town's legacy is the old bourbon distillery, and they need a boost to get it going again.

The drifter dies. And his graveside becomes a pilgrimage for those seeking miracles. And they're getting them.

Lies and deceit are hidden within these pages. Revenge. Mystery. Romance. And miracles.

Afraid I will give too much away, I will simply say the author does not leave you wanting for a better read!

I give this book five stars.

I give it a big thumbs up.

And my personal highly recommended award. ( )

I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a great story. The author lets us see what it must have been like for a Kentucky bourbon distiller to recover after Prohibition and the Great Depression. The Feds shut down most distillers except for a handpicked few who were allowed to manufacture their product for ‘medicinal purposes.’ The remainder had to support their families any way they could find. Many had hidden product that they sold any way they could whether it was legal or not. They ran across many unsavory characters in the years that they bootlegged their product on the Black Market and did what they had to do in order to survive. Several became wealthy and hid their ill-gotten gains. Many times what they had done during those years caught up with them in the end. This is the story of such a family and their recovery. James Market has written an excellent piece of historical fiction with an amazing plot and excellent character development. For good measure the author writes a dead drifter thought to be the second coming of Jesus with a following of ’12 apostles’ into the plot. It is obvious that the author did a great deal of research before writing this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the language and colloquialisms the author used throughout the book that were so appropriate for the time period. I especially enjoyed the expression, “Everything is jake.” This is an amazing story that grabs the reader’s attention from the beginning and never lets go until the very end. This is a keeper and well worth the read. I look forward to reading more from James Market in the future. ( )