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A Novel
by Polly Stewart
The critically acclaimed author of The Good Ones returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a powerful Southern family whose dark secrets set in motion a chain of events with deadly consequences.
In their younger years, Trey Macready and his best friend Ben Marsh were distributors and enforcers for the local distillers who made their small hamlet of Ewald, Virginia, the moonshine capital of the world. But that was years ago, and now the only tie to their criminal past is the Felons' Ball—Trey's annual birthday party where they regale the crowed with tales of their youthful exploits. But when Ben is found dead after Trey's fiftieth celebration, it's clear those connections may not be past at all.
Finding Ben's body propels his much-younger secret lover, Natalie—Trey's daughter—to search for Ben's estranged son, Lanny, and to find the truth about his killing. Her quest will lead to a battle with a police department that refuses to ignore her family's history, and to form unexpected connections with Hardy, the sheriff investigating the case, and her brother-in-law Jay, who had a very public fight with Ben on the night of his murder.
When Jay goes missing on the morning he planned to meet Natalie, she begins to wonder if her mother was right ... and if the past should be left in the past.
"Following Stewart's impressive debut novel, The Good Ones (2023), this is a breakout achievement. Even dealing with the trickiest family dynamics, a shifting cast of characters, and complex twists of fate, she is in complete command. A captivating, multilayered mystery by a rising star." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Devilish...An intriguing mix of murder, moonshine, and family drama makes this sing. It's perfect for fans of Kate White and Kim Michele Richardson." —Publishers Weekly
"The Felons' Ball is full of secrets—ones that refuse to reveal themselves and ones that refuse to stay buried. It's also full of wit and empathy and characters as real as your own family members. This novel is assured, propulsive, and thrilling, and I tore through it." —Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You
"Who can you trust in this small town family drama where everyone has secrets? Sometimes, the past is better left undisturbed. A compelling page-turner that takes family loyalty to a whole new level!" —Maxwell Gregory
This information about The Felons' Ball was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Polly Stewart grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, where she still lives. She graduated from Hollins University and earned an MFA in fiction and a PhD in British literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Her short fiction has appeared in literary collections and journals, including Best New American Voices, the Best American Mystery Stories, Epoch, and the Alaska Quarterly Review. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, Crime Reads, and Poets & Writers, among other publications. She lives in Virginia.
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