"Phone calls before dawn from the sheriff are rarely good news. When Bell Elkins picks up the phone she already knows she won't like what she's about to hear, but she's still not prepared for this: Lucinda Trimble's body has been found at the bottom of Bitter River-- and she was dead before her body ever hit the water"--Jacket flap.
Since the deaths of her father, brother, and the first man she loved, Emily Jenkins has been struggling to support herself and her mother, blaming many of their problems on the recent construction on the power lines, but when a worker is struck by lightening and brought to Emily, she finds herself falling for the mysterious young man.
A teenager in a large family that lives in a trailer yearns for love, approval, an escape from endless chores, and a chance to make something of herself; when a good and decent man, seven years her senior, falls in love with her, she realizes marriage to him could solve her problems.
Sixth-grader Marty and his family try to help their rough neighbor, Judd Travers, change his mean ways, even though their West Virginia community continues to expect the worst of him.
After the death of the beloved aunt who has raised her, twelve-year-old Summer and her uncle Ob leave their West Virginia trailer in search of the strength to go on living.
When eight-year-old Sophie vanishes during a weekend camping trip, a desperate search is launched to find the child, but Sophie has found refuge in a remote cabin inhabited by a reclusive woman who has her own secrets to hide.
