Ransom's Law

By: David Johnson

Narrated by: Gary Bennett

Roscoe Ransom returned home from World War I, broken both in body and spirit, drowning his pain daily in a bottle of whiskey. But even alcohol can’t numb the agony of losing his wife or the fear of trying to raise his son, Junior, alone. However, the mind-numbing predictability of Roscoe’s life as a sharecropper and his role of town sheriff - a job given to him out of pity when he returned from the war - is suddenly upended when a black man in their tiny community is murdered and castrated.

At 11 years old, Junior longs for his father’s love and attention to fill the void left by the death of his mother, but the person who has grown to fill that role is Willow Muscadine, a Cherokee Indian woman, who lives next door. When she sees him trying to locate the killer that his drunken father can’t - or won’t - find she decides to become Junior’s self-assigned protector. Junior overhears enough in town to realize this was no random murder of a black man. But the more questions he asks, the more dangerous the situation becomes for him, Roscoe, and Willow.

When the threats turn deadly, will it be enough to shake Roscoe from his misery in time to save them and find redemption? Or will his personal demons once again win until he’s lost everything and everyone who cares about him?

Best selling author, David Johnson, has once again produced one of his trademark “books with heart” and spun a tale that will have you rooting for the underdogs and hoping that good will triumph over evil.

©2018 David Johnson (P)2019 David Johnson

A compelling story, well told

I enjoyed Ransom's Law for it's compelling story line and for the logical sequence in which it was presented. Set in the south during the depression, it applies what we know now as PTSD to an era where it was not understood. The characters were flawed enough to be believable. Not so many twists and turns, but enough intrigue to keep it very interesting. The narration was excellent. The narration of an audio book can make or break the listening experience. In this case Gary Bennett did an outstanding job of giving life to the characters. Highly recommend.

powerful story with racial tension running high

11yo Junior Ransom is a good kid. He has been taking care of his alcoholic father since his mother died in childbirth 5 yrs ago, and he's getting tired of it. Sheriff Roscoe Ransom returned to his small town after WWI a broken man. He drinks to numb the pain in his leg, as well as the pain in his heart left by the death of his wife. When a black man is horrifically murdered, and it appears that it was racially motivated, Sheriff Ransom promises the black community that he will solve the murder. However, can you trust the word of an alcoholic, especially one who is a share cropper on the land of one of the suspects? When Junior starts his own investigation and his persistence puts him in danger, will Roscoe finally put down the drink and save what's important? Will he back off from solving the murder? The racial tension in this story is palpable...Roscoe credits his life to John, a black man who also came back from war broken, and gets flak from the white community for that friendship. Things get worse when Willow, the Native American woman who is Roscoe's neighbor and has been helping take care of Junior since his mother's passing, finally moves in with them, When Roscoe finally sobers up and solves the murder, the result will shock you.
This story will keep you spell bound until the end...as it did me! Definitely a re-read/listen. The narrator did a superb job of keeping you invested in the story.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

People in the KKK

I like this book it’s the story of a survival flight info right of people of color and other races. Looks like these are so important to read so important because of the struggles and the importance of steps taken. Excellent story excellent narration I recommend this book to everyone.

Heartbreaking, eye-opening story

I received a free code to listen to this book and I did so willingly.

Jr and his father and all their friends had to withstand quite a lot of turmoil to find their rightful place in a small town ruled by the KKK.
In the end their love and forgiveness were life changing for all they came in contact with.

Heartwarming moments and moments of utter turmoil were part of this book... but the good surpasses the evil.

Congratulations to the author that kept me glued to my seat and a round of applause for the narrator... you were awesome

Junior Ransom, Detective

One of my all time favorite books is "To Kill a Mockingbird" and this book was very reminiscent of that classic tale. Junior Ransom is a typical 11 year old boy being raised by his widowed father, Roscoe. Roscoe was wounded in WWI and came home a damaged man. When his wife and unborn child die, Roscoe falls into a whiskey bottle every night and Junior doesn't really know how to cope.

When a black man is brutally murdered in their small town, Roscoe, as Sheriff, tries to find out who killed him. However, people in town have a different idea. Hints of KKK involvement, infidelity, hatred and poverty all figure into this story. Junior is determined to help his father find the murderer.

The book is full of racial tensions, poverty, former soldiers with PTSD, friendship and love. Will love be able to bring Roscoe and Junior back together or will Roscoe's demons drive them further apart? This book was very poignant as it explores the atmosphere surrounding the murder as well as Roscoe's personal battles. I laughed, I cried and finally, I cheered as I listened to the book.

The author does a great job in character development and the story progresses at a slow pace while still keeping the reader's interest. The narrator, Gary Bennett, was perfect and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. I know that this book will stick with me for a long, long time. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.