When a reporter is sent to cover a homicide that occurred in self-defense, she’s reminded of events from her own past in Donna M. Bevans’ novel It’s the Mountain Way.

It has been 20 years since Savannah Benjamin left Tennessee, vowing to never return. But now Katie Lyn, 14, is charged with murdering a man who was stalking her, and Savannah is sent by her Baltimore newspaper to cover the story. After meeting Katie Lyn at the courthouse, Savannah recalls her own dark time.

In 1983, Savannah lives a simple, even idyllic life with her parents Rebecca and Jimmy on their little farm atop Flat Top Mountain. But only days after she turns 14, a bootlegger named Mr. Jenks makes clear his intentions to marry her. “I don’t much like Mr. Jenks,” Savannah notes. “He’s always chewing tobacco and spitting the juice out through a hole where his front tooth ought to be.”

Jimmy repeatedly tells Mr. Jenks Savannah will not marry him. But when Mr. Jenks refuses to take no for an answer, things turn violent. Even that, however, isn’t enough to stop the bootlegger, and the family leaves Flat Top Mountain. Still, Mr. Jenks persists.

The story is, at once, charming as it portrays the relationship of a close-knit family content in their simple way of life, and a dark tale of the vulnerability of young women at the hands of misogynistic men in an era when one might expect a more enlightened attitude.

While characters like Mr. Jenks can seem like stereotypes and Savannah’s maturity is inconsistent throughout the story, the plot unwinds nicely with Mr. Jenks seeming to dig himself in deeper with each turn. The unexpected resolution works, although it seems an unnecessary twist chosen more for surprise than to reflect the natural turn of events.

Still, readers who appreciate a story of a close family challenged, but ultimately persevering through great sacrifice should enjoy this offering.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.