Patricia Stoltey
In the early 1800s near a village on the Illinois frontier, the body of nineteen-year-old Caswell Proud is discovered in the woods along the Sangamon River. Solving his murder will not be easy. Many from the Village of Sangamon have wished Caswell dead. Young Jo Mae Proud vows to escape the cruel brother who forced her into prostitution because he’s too lazy to work. During a Bible meeting where the pious pretenders pray, a storm blows in and lightning strikes the tree where Caswell lurks, watching. He is damaged but still very much alive. His paranoia and rage make him even more dangerous than he was before, and more hated. When Jo Mae discovers she is pregnant, she seeks help from Annie Gray, a spinster farmer. Annie finds Jo Mae a home with a farm family, caring for the children and doing chores, but the farmer’s wife is not always kind, and the farmer tries to assault Jo Mae. She finds refuge at the riverside camp of Fish, an old Kickapoo Indian. The flawed residents of the Village of Sangamon harbor many secrets. Caswell’s lurking and spying makes them uneasy, even terrified, of what he might reveal. Is this what leads to Caswell’s death?
Wishing Caswell Dead was a general fiction finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards.