The Kept

by James Scott

Published 1 January 2014

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR YOUR FAMILY, FOR LOVE, FOR REVENGE?

'Dark and mysterious ... reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy ... Sparse, elegant ... haunting.' New York Times

In the winter of 1897, Elspeth Howell returns home to her isolated farmstead to find her family brutally murdered. Only her twelve-year-old son, Caleb, survives.

Mother and son set out into the frozen wilderness to track down the men responsible for this horrific crime. Their search takes them to the ice-locked shores of Lake Erie, and a merciless town where violence abounds. As Caleb is forced into a brutal adulthood, he begins to uncover truths about his family he could never have anticipated, while Elspeth must confront secrets she has long kept hidden. Together, they discover the bond between mother and son may be their only hope for redemption.