Paulette Jilesová je americká autorka, jejíž díla se často ponořují do hlubin amerického jihu. Její psaní vyniká pronikavým pozorováním lidské povahy a krajiny, kterou obývá. Jilesová ve své poezii i próze proplétá témata paměti, ztráty a odolnosti. Její styl je zároveň lyrický i drsný, což čtenářům přináší bohatý a nezapomenutelný zážitek.
Předloha stejnojmenného filmu s Tomem Hanksem v hlavní roli, který znají i čeští diváci.
Kapitán Jefferson Kidd, kterého občanská válka Severu proti Jihu připravila o živnost tiskaře, ve svých sedmdesáti objíždí v sedle městečka severního Texasu a předčítá místním za deseticent „zprávy ze světa“. Po jednom takovém vystoupení je mu do péče svěřena desetiletá Johana, kterou před šesti lety unesli Kajovové. Vydá se na nebezpečnou cestu neklidným územím, aby osiřelé dívce našel nový domov.
Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World. Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John's beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered. Their killer goes by many names. He fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law. But the man John knows as A. J. Dodd is little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse, needing to be put down. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred. Not by the U.S. Marshal who threatens to arrest him for murder should he succeed. And not by Victoria Reavis, the telegraphist aiding him in his death-driven quest, yet hoping he'll choose to embrace a life with her instead. And as he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he's already lost...
"In March 1865, the long and bitter War between the States is winding down. Until now, twenty-three-year-old Simon Boudlin has evaded military duty thanks to his slight stature, youthful appearance, and utter lack of compunction about bending the truth. But following a barroom brawl in Victoria, Texas, Simon finds himself conscripted into the Confederate Army. Luckily, his talent with a fiddle lands him in a regimental band. Weeks later, on the eve of the Confederate surrender, Simon and his bandmates are called to play for officers and their families from both sides of the conflict. There the quick-thinking, audacious fiddler can't help but notice the lovely Doris Mary Dillon, an indentured girl from Ireland, who is governess to a Union colonel's daughter. After the surrender, Simon and Doris go their separate ways. He will travel around Texas seeking fame and fortune as a musician. She must accompany the colonel's family to finish her three years of service. But Simon cannot forget the fair Irish maiden, and vows that someday he will find her again."--Back cover
