Beulah Hill

A novel of rare literary distinction, an erotic thriller combined with a true mystery, and a look back at a little-known part of the American societal patchwork -- "Beulah Hill," by bestselling author William Heffernan, is a brilliant and deeply original work of fiction. Set in the 1930s, the story follows the investigation of a racially motivated murder in a rural Vermont town and the shocking ramifications it has on that backwoods community, which had once served as a stopping place for runaway slaves. Having made new lives for themselves there, many of these former slaves had married interracially. As a result, over several generations, the progeny of what were originally black families became what was known as "bleached" and were absorbed by the white community. Still, they were not accepted by all, and not all the blacks joined in interracial unions. The result was an atmosphere of tension and distrust that -- as so vividly rendered in this novel -- occasionally exploded in acts of violence...and even murder. Played out against this vivid backdrop, at a time when the Great Depression had created an atmosphere of fearHeffernan, William is the author of 'Beulah Hill' with ISBN 9780684862262 and ISBN 0684862263.