A Cold, Hard Prayer

by John Smolens

Overview

In 1924, an orphan train passes through the Midwest, and two teenagers, seeking a new life, find nothing but hardship when taken in to live on a farm in Michigan. Mercy, a teenage girl of mixed race, and a boy nicknamed Rope, who lost fingers in a factory accident, become virtual prisoners of Harlan and Estelle Nau, whose children died during the Spanish flu epidemic. After facing abuse, Mercy and Rope flee, making an arduous journey into sparsely populated northern Michigan, where Mercy believes she will find her aunt. After Harlan is found murdered on his farm, police captain Jim Kincaid pursues Mercy and Rope to the cold, barren villages on the Mackinac Straits, but his efforts are complicated by the reemergent Ku Klux Klan, which has formed a coalition with the police deputy Milt Waters and the Dingley brothers, who run a local bootleg operation. Resolute and intrepid, Mercy and Rope develop a bond of mutual trust that helps them navigate a stark American landscape shaped by prejudice, hypocrisy, and fear.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611864786
Publisher:	Michigan State University Press
Publication date:	10/01/2023
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	278
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

John Smolens has published thirteen works of fiction: twelve novels and a collection of short stories. Three of his novels, Wolf’s Mouth, Day of Days, and A Cold, Hard Prayer, were selected as Library of Michigan Notable Books. He lives in Marquette, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Half-Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Letter
1: Nau Farm 1924
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
2: North
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
3: A Cold, Hard Prayer
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
4: Grand Dragon
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
5: Ghost Parade
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight

Editorial Reviews

By all means, read John Smolens’s terrific new novel for the exciting, suspenseful story it is—a pair of orphans are on the run from forces both good and evil, their escape and pursuit played out in the often-treacherous wintry landscape of northern Michigan. But don’t be surprised to find that as you turn the pages you’re also involved in an American morality tale, in which the best of this country’s virtues—a sense of fairness, decency, and tolerance—are in deadly conflict with its worst qualities—bigotry, fanaticism, and hate. A Cold, Hard Prayer is a full, rich narrative and rewarding on many levels.

—Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, Justice, and Let Him Go, now a major motion picture




By all means, read John Smolens’s terrific new novel for the exciting, suspenseful story it is—a pair of orphans are on the run from forces both good and evil, their escape and pursuit played out in the often-treacherous wintry landscape of northern Michigan. But don’t be surprised to find that as you turn the pages you’re also involved in an American morality tale, in which the best of this country’s virtues—a sense of fairness, decency, and tolerance—are in deadly conflict with its worst qualities—bigotry, fanaticism, and hate. A Cold, Hard Prayer is a full, rich narrative and rewarding on many levels.

—Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, Justice, and Let Him Go, now a major motion picture



By all means, read John Smolens’s terrific new novel for the exciting, suspenseful story it is—a pair of orphans are on the run from forces both good and evil, their escape and pursuit played out in the often-treacherous wintry landscape of northern Michigan. But don’t be surprised to find that as you turn the pages you’re also involved in an American morality tale, in which the best of this country’s virtues—a sense of fairness, decency, and tolerance—are in deadly conflict with its worst qualities—bigotry, fanaticism, and hate. A Cold, Hard Prayer is a full, rich narrative and rewarding on many levels.

—Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, Justice, and Let Him Go, now a major motion picture
 

By all means, read John Smolens’s terrific new novel for the exciting, suspenseful story it is—a pair of orphans are on the run from forces both good and evil, their escape and pursuit played out in the often-treacherous wintry landscape of northern Michigan. But don’t be surprised to find that as you turn the pages you’re also involved in an American morality tale, in which the best of this country’s virtues—a sense of fairness, decency, and tolerance—are in deadly conflict with its worst qualities—bigotry, fanaticism, and hate. A Cold, Hard Prayer is a full, rich narrative and rewarding on many levels.

—Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948, Justice, and Let Him Go, now a major motion picture
 

From the Publisher