Overview

Jeremiah Jones is a man haunted by the horrors of war. When he set off to fight in the Spring of '61, he was but an ignorant boy seeking renown on the fields of glory. Fighting for the grays, he survives a score of battles with names like Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga with nary a scratch. What he witnesses in those fights, though, leaves behind scars far deeper than any bullet or bayonet ever could. Wounded to the depths of his soul, Jeremiah returns at war's end to the girl he left behind. But four years is an eternity, and life back home has moved on without him. His soul seeking peace, but his warrior's heart desiring only battle, Jeremiah's mind is caught between heaven and hell. Though he rides the saddle-preacher circuit, bringing the word of the Lord to all who'll listen, inside rages the killing beast that war birthed within him. The only ones he can count on are two ghosts, the first two men--but far from the last--who tried to stand against him. Tried, and failed. While he rests overnight in the tiny town of Freshwater, a desperate young girl named Adeline steals Jeremiah's horse trying to escape a life worse than death. Realizing her motivations, he pursues, as much to rescue her as to recover his horse. It's a decision that will change Jeremiah's life forever. In the days to come, he faces a rash of renegade Indians, desperate homesteaders, and an offshoot of the infamous James gang intent on taking the girl for their own amusements. Pairing up with an unlikely ally, an Osage renegade named Montega, Jeremiah gives his all to keep Adeline safe. Even as he does, though, a nagging fear pulls at his heart. Will Adeline be the death of him? Or his ultimate salvation?

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9781633734975

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Reviews

Gritty, gutsy, and in-your-face, Foster spins a gut-wrenching tale as taut and powerful as Charles Portis's True Grit. --Dusty Richards, Bestselling Author of Zekial I can't say enough good things about Soldier's Heart. Jeremiah and Adeline are unforgettable characters, but so are Montega (an actual Osage sidekick) and even Baby William. Foster works interactive ghosts into the story, and PTSD, and the James Gang. Adeline starts off weak and innocent and winds up the powerhouse character of the novel. Jeremiah strives to escape the horrors of war and strives to redeem himself for all the things he's had to do. I believe he does, but every reader will have to decide that for themselves. --John T. Biggs, Author of Sacred Alarm Clock Foster writes a novel that rivals the classics in both its poignancy and its eloquence. This is no mere western. This is a story of love, acceptance, external battles, and internal demons. My only complaint is that there isn't more. I was immediately transported to the world Foster created, and I was sorry to have to leave it so soon. I read the novel in one rapt sitting, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel. --Staci Troilo, Author of Type & Cross

Author Information

Pamela Foster is among the sixth generation of Fosters to be born and raised on the westernmost tip of the continental United States. After over two decades of travel, mostly in Latin America and Asia, Foster has returned to her hometown of Eureka, California, where she wakes each morning to fog draped redwoods, the ebb and flow of Humboldt Bay, and the comfort of finally being home. Between being married to a wounded Marine and working as a veteran's advocate through the VA, Foster has long experience with the challenges faced by combat vets returning home haunted by their experiences, as well as with the women who love them. Soldier's Heart is the first in a new trilogy of literary Western novels examining this timeless theme, and will be followed soon by its sequel, The Rainmaker. Her other novels to date include Noisy Creek, Redneck Goddess, Bigfoot Blues, and Bigfoot Mamas.

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