J. D. HARKLEROAD

SWEP CULHANE is a novel of sweeping expanse, of brutal people and events, of loss and love. And Swep Culhane, the man, is a hero in the truest sense of the word. A World War II Navy fighter pilot, Lieutenant Culhane risks his life in an all out attempt to save his ship from the mortal blow of a Japanese Kamikaze bent on murderous destruction. For his efforts, Culhane wins the Congressional Medal of Honor and ends up fighting for his life in a naval hospital.

Upon Swep's release, he heads home to Utah, expecting to find a loving wife, a dear friend who raised Swep like a son, and home. Instead he finds nothing but a two-timing woman and grief.

Culhane ends up spending nearly a year incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. Heading home once again to his ranch near Bryce Canyon, he finds his old friend dead and an unknown woman in possession of his place, the mysterious and beautiful, Dove Cordier.

Swep, penniless and without hope, becomes tangled in wartime black marketing and a ration-stamp counterfeiting scheme. Where does Swep fit in? Who can he trust? The suspense is the edge-of-your-seat variety.

J.D. Harkleroad spins a fabulous story of World War II era Utah. Her vivid descriptions of Bryce Canyon and its surrounds offer a view of a land, savage, humbling and glorious all at the same time, and of its people. Her intimate knowledge of the area shines through every page.

The storyline wraps itself around the reader, drawing him in, enveloping him in intrigue and in the emotional lives of the people who inhabit Swep Culhane's world. Harkleroad is a superb storyteller, one with an eye for detail as well as a knack for keeping the reader wanting more.