THE YEAR OF THE STORM

About a small town, Broken Branch, with ominous secrets and ferocious storms.

In this haunting, suspenseful debut novel, John Mantooth takes readers to a town in rural Alabama where secrets are buried deep, reality is relative, and salvation requires a desperate act of faith. When Danny was fourteen, his mother and sister disappeared during a violent storm. The police were baffled. There were no clues, and most people figured they were dead. Only Danny still holds out hope that they’ll return. Months later, a disheveled Vietnam vet named Walter Pike shows up at Danny’s front door, claiming to know their whereabouts. The story he tells is so incredible that Danny knows he shouldn’t believe him. Others warn him about Walter Pike’s dark past, his shameful flight from town years ago, and the suspicious timing of his return. But he’s Danny’s last hope, and Danny needs to believe…

John Mantooth is an award-winning author, middle school teacher, former school bus driver, and basketball junkie. His first collection of stories, Shoebox Train Wreck, was released in 2012. He lives in Alabama with his wife and children. This is his first novel.