Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
Hampton, Alabama was a rough place for a single mother to raise a child by herself. For years Luke Ballard knew he was a bustard just as the entire town knew his mother was a whore. He never learned from his mother the identity of his father. When Alma claims Luke impregnated her, his mother forced them into marriage. Immediately following the service, Luke enlisted in the Army.
When his mother lay dying, Luke took leave to say his good-byes. On her deathbed, she confesses that three men brutally raped her and she wanted Luke to insure justice is done. Luke left the army and was elected sheriff. He begins his evidence gathering against three prominent citizens in the hopes of getting some justice for his mother. His only happiness is when he spends time with Emma Jean, married to a spouse abuser, who he also plans to bring down.
New York Times best-selling author Patricia Hagan captures the ambiance of life in the 1960s in a small southern town. Segregation lived and the KKK thrived. The hero believes in justice and is willing to deliver it when he feels the occasion warrants his intervention. Luke, along with the rest of the cast and the atmospheric plot make CRY ME A RIVER a tale to remember.