King Harvest (The Kansas Murder Trilogy)

Review\n"Flavored in Western-style language and adventure, giving the 'high' in High Plains Drifter an entirely new meaning...Litton delivers an atmospheric modern day cowboy story, replacing the horses with beat-up Fords and Chevys and the tobacco-chewing bronc-buster with joint-smoking soldiers-turned-philosophers. King Harvest is rich in characters and backstory, adding multiple layers to a straightforward conceit: choices have consequences, and they often reap the whirlwind. Readers will look forward to the second installment of the trilogy, which promises a new time, characters and story." - BookTrib, Peggy Kurkowski (member of National Book Critics Circle)\n"...The author excels at storytelling and characterization...The frustration and desperation of being poor are vividly illustrated. Litton also shines at establishing a sense of place...a farm carries the rich scents 'of autumn grasses, cattle grazing, the milo harvest, and the broad blankets of turned-up soil.'...Beautiful writing about so many sad and disturbing things in a riveting crime story." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\n"The blend of 'wild West' feel to the story (which bodes the clash of rival gangs) and the mystery which evolves when murder rears its head makes for a vivid account that will appeal on different levels to attract readers with a saga that revolves around cat-and-mouse games and hemp..." - D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review\nIn the summer of 1975 a group of young men known as “the boys” make their stab for freedom harvesting wild hemp, or marijuana, on the Kansas plains. Several are Vietnam vets, and all are somehow marked, at odds with their time. They see themselves as inheritors of the mythic West, like buffalo hunters in league with their captain, Frankie Sage. As long as they remain unarmed their crime is counted only a misdemeanor.\nBut a rival gang led by Valentine LaReese is prone to gunplay. The two are fated to clash. Privy to the action is CC Holtz, “King of the county,” who like any king demands tribute.\nEarly on a double murder on the border of two counties calls out both sheriffs. Their investigation and the free-spirited harvest run parallel till all trails converge, leading to a wry, dramatic climax.