Hard Times by Les Edgerton

This review originally appeared in the February 2021 edition of the Historical Novels Review.

The promise of Amelia’s schoolgirl achievement and young love with a newcomer to the bottomlands fade to teasing memories as she comes of age in Depression-era, hardscrabble East Texas. Married at 14 to Arnold, an abusive, indefatigable villain, Amelia perseveres to her own sense of duty and for the love of her children. Finally, her husband hits rock bottom and leaves Amelia and the children destitute, in their remote, barren farm, without sustenance and facing his snarling pack of dogs. Meanwhile, a fugitive running from troubles in the North makes his way into the backwoods and Amelia’s life. Tension builds as Arnold escapes from justice and pursues a desperate return to Amelia and the children that portends an explosive showdown.

Edgerton writes with a colloquial narrative style that explores the honor in capitulation in hopeless circumstances, portraying Amelia with a memorable dignity as her world shatters.  Scenes are set sparingly, and dialogue is presented without speech marks and is often terse, conveying immediacy in gritty, hard-hitting action in a relatively short book.

The author’s books and short stories are often crime fiction centered around people who encounter violent and/or criminal troubles. He has also written short stories and screenplays.