The Which Way Tree

About this book

The poignant odyssey of a tenacious young girl who braves the dangers of the Texas frontier to avenge her mothers death. Early one morning in the remote hill country of Texas a panther savagely attacks a family of homesteaders mauling a young girl named Samantha and killing her mother whose final act is to save her daughters life. Samantha and her half brother Benjamin survive but she is left traumatized her face horribly scarred. Narrated in Benjamins beguilingly plainspoken voice The Which Way Tree is the story of Samanthas unshakeable resolve to stalk and kill the infamous panther rumored across the Rio Grande to be a demon and avenge her mothers death. In their quest she and Benjamin now orphaned enlist a charismatic Tejano outlaw and a haunted compassionate preacher with an aging but relentless tracking dog. As the members of this unlikely posse hunt the panther they are in turn pursued by a hapless but sadistic Confederate soldier with troubled family ties to the preacher and a score to settle. In the tradition of the great pursuit narratives The Which Way Tree is a breathtaking saga of one steadfast girls revenge against an implacable and unknowable beast. Yet with the comedic undertones of Benjamins storytelling it is also a timeless tale full of warmth and humor and a testament to the enduring love that carries a sister and brother through a perilous adventure with all the dimensions of a legend. "A ripping adventure with a show-stopping finale."-Wall Street Journal "The stuff of legends."-Attica Locke "Powerful sly and often charming."-Daniel Woodrell