This will sweep you up in its grasp in the same way The Horse Whisperer did from its intriguing start and through the past and present stories as the life of Tom Bedford intriguingly unfolds. A gripping read and no doubt perfect for a Hollywood film script but it’s always good to have read the book beforehand so be one of the first!

Comparison: Charles Frazier, Douglas Kennedy, Larry McMurty
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Synopsis

The motto of the boarding school to which Tommy Bedford is dispatched is Fortune Favours the Brave. It's 1959 and the school bristles with bullies and sadistic staff. Tommy, a quirky loner, obsessed with cowboys and Indians, needs all the bravery he can summon. Salvation comes when his glamorous actress sister is swept off to Hollywood by one of his heroes, TV cowboy Ray Montane. But with the Cold War looming, the sinister side of Tinseltown seeps through and Tommy and Diane soon find themselves in jeopardy. Forty years on, Tommy has to confront his boyhood ghosts when his own son finds himself charged with murder.

Reviews

'Through his storytelling skills, sound plot construction and ease with descriptive landscapes, Evans keeps a firm grip on interest until the end. Fans will not be disappointed'
Irish Independent

'A novel that packs a real emotional punch'
She

'Another triumph from the author of The Horse Whisperer'
Sun

'A harrowing emotional thriller, tense and pacy but also deeply moving'
The Times

'This powerful, compelling read is engaging from the first page to the last'
Best

'Evans keeps a good yarn on a tight lead'
Mail on Sunday

'Wonderfully, tautly and resonantly written'
Daily Mail

'The novel is a delightful mixture of heightened contrasts and juxtaposed similarities: the old and new, the father and his son, love and hate, the lines blurring to such an extent that one could be mistaken for the other...A thoroughly gripping page-turner'
Daily Express

'His prose is always vivid and often exciting and much detail is clearly well researched'
Financial Times

'The sort of emotionally cathartic read that Evans does best: a search for identity through the quagmire of family secrets and a redemptive ending ? tissues at the ready'
Glamour

'A moving story of a man confronting his past'
Woman & Home

About the Author

Nicholas Evans was born and grew up in Worcestershire and was a screenwriter and film producer before writing his first novel, the phenomenal number one bestseller The Horse Whisperer. It has now been translated into 36 languages and sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide since its publication in 1995. It is now also a Hollywood film, starring and directed by Robert Redford. He is also the author of The Loop and The Smoke Jumper. Nicholas Evans lives in Devon and London   Author photo © Christopher Jones More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation