Book Review: A Melungeon Winter

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Melungeon Winter     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Patrick Bone
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical   Young Adult
Silver Dagger, Feb 2001, $24.50, 259 pp.

In the early 1950's in the Appalachia Mountains, Jubalee meets Robert at a track meet. Over the next four years, the white lad and the Negro become best friends. As Rosa Parks ignites a revolution, Duane Clemmon viciously beats up Jubalee over his friendship with the Negro. Jubalee's dad threatens Duane's father Hatcher that if his son fails to fully recover from the brutal beating, he will see that the kid is jailed and assures the father that he will be in a worse situation. Jubalee feels shame because he finally succumbed to Duane's bashing and used the "N" word.

Over three months later, someone kills Hatcher. The sheriff arrests Jubalee's dad for the crime and later he is wrongfully convicted. Jubalee, Robert and a friend (the feared MELUNGEON hermit) Denny Mullins try to uncover the truth. As the trio receives help from an odd collection of characters, their own lives are in danger from individuals who plan to allow Jubalee's dad to take the fall that covers up another crime.

A MELUNGEON WINTER is a period piece that will either be loudly cheered or soundly hooted depending on the reader's taste. The story line goes deep into the 1950's, using language and race as a means of making the era come alive. Some readers will be turned off by the colloquialisms, but they add depth to the characters and set the time and mood. The who-done-it seems almost like an afterthought though cleverly designed because the plot belongs to the era that Patrick Bone brings vividly alive.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner